MAZLI 

By    tke    Author   of  "  Heidi 


•»•» 


Johanna    Spyri 


This  Book  belongs  To 


A^v\k  \yv£l  *  sW  B  o^Vj 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00022229394 


MAZLI 

A  STORY  OF  THE  SWISS  VALLEYS 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://archive.org/details/mzlistoryofswissOOspyr 


M  AZLI 

A  Story  of  the  Swiss  Valleys 
By  JOHANNA  SPYRI 

Author  of 
"Heidi,"  "Dora,"  "Cornelli,"  "Vinzi,"  etc. 


Translated  by 
Elisabeth  P.  Stork 


A.  L.   BURT  COMPANY 
Publishers  New  York 

Published  by   arrangement   with   J.  B.    Lippincott  Company 
Printed  in  U.   S.  A. 


COPYRIGHT,  192 1,  BY  J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 


Printed  in  the  U.   S.  A. 


FOREWORD 

The  present  story  is  the  third  by  Madame 
Spyri  to  appear  in  this  series.  For  many  years 
the  author  was  known  almost  entirely  for  her 
Alpine  classic,  "  Heidi  ".  The  publication  of  a 
second  story,  "  Cornelli  ",  during  the  past  year 
was  so  favorably  received  as  to  assure  success  for 
a  further  venture. 

"  Mazli  "  may  be  pronounced  the  most  natural 
and  one  of  the  most  entertaining  of  Madame 
Spyri's  creations.  The  atmosphere  is  created  by 
an  old  Swiss  castle  and  by  the  romantic  associa- 
tions of  the  noble  family  who  lived  there.  Plot 
interest  is  supplied  in  abundance  by  the  children 
of  the  Bergmann  family  with  varying  characters 
and  interests.  A  more  charming  group  of  young 
people  and  a  more  wise  and  affectionate  mother 
would  be  hard  to  find.  Every  figure  is  individual 
and  true  to  life,  with  his  or  her  special  virtues  and 
foibles,  so  that  any  grown  person  who  picks  up 
the  volume  will  find  it  a  world  in  miniature  and 
will  watch  eagerly  for  the  special  characteristics 
of  each  child  to  reappear.  Naturalness,  gener- 
osity, and  forbearance  are  shown  throughout  not 
by  precept  but  by  example.  The  story  is  at  once 
entertaining,  healthy,  and,  in  the  best  sense  of  a 
word  often  misused,  sweet.    Insipid  books  do  no 


FOREWORD 

one  any  good,  but  few  readers  of  whatever  age 
they  may  be  will  fail  to  enjoy  and  be  the  better 
for  Mazli. 

It  may  save  trouble  to  give  here  a  summary  of 
the  Bergmann  household.  The  mother  is  some- 
times called  Mrs.  Rector,  on  account  of  her  being 
the  widow  of  a  former  rector  of  the  parish,  and 
sometimes  Mrs.  Maxa,  to  avoid  confusion  with 
the  wife  of  the  present  rector.  It  is  as  if  there 
were  two  Mrs.  John  Smiths,  one  of  whom  is  called 
Mrs.  Helen;  Maxa  being,  of  course,  a  feminine 
Christian  name.  Of  the  five  children  the  eldest 
is  the  high-spirited,  impulsive  Bruno,  who  is  just 
of  an  age  to  go  away  to  a  city  school.  Next  comes 
his  sister  Mea,  whose  fault  is  that  she  is  too  sub- 
missive and  confiding.  Kurt,  the  second  boy,  is 
the  most  enterprising  and  humorous  of  the  fam- 
ily; whereas,  Lippo,  another  boy,  is  the  soul  of 
obedience  and  formality.  Most  original  of  all  is 
Mazli,  probably  not  over  six,  as  she  is  too  young 
to  go  to  school. 

The  writer  of  this  preface  knows  of  one  family 
— not  his  own,  either — which  is  waiting  eagerly 
for  another  book  by  the  author  of  "  Heidi  "  and 
"  Cornelli."  To  this  and  all  families  desirous  of 
a  story  full  of  genuine  fun  and  genuine  feeling 
the  present  volume  may  be  recommended  with- 
out qualification. 

Charles  Wharton  Stork 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

I.  In  Nolla 11 

II.  Divers  Worries 31 

III.  Castle  Wildenstein 69 

IV.  An  Unexpected  Apparition 114 

V.  Oppressive  Air 141 

VI.    New  Friends 170 

VII.    The  Mother's  Absence  Has  Consequences 203 

VIII.    Mazli  Pats  Visits 249 

IX.    In  the  Castle 278 


MAZLI 

CHAPTER  I 
IN  NOLLA 

FOR  nearly  twenty  years  the  fine  old  castle 
had  stood  silent  and  deserted  on  the  moun- 
tain-side. In  its  neighborhood  not  a  sound 
could  be  heard  except  the  twittering  of  the  birds 
and  the  soughing  of  the  old  pine-trees.  On 
bright  summer  evenings  the  swallows  whizzed 
as  before  about  the  corner  gables,  but  no  more 
merry  eyes  looked  down  from  the  balconies  to 
the  green  meadows  and  richly  laden  apple  trees 
in  the  valley. 

But  just  now  two  merry  eyes  were  search- 
ingly  raised  to  the  castle  from  the  meadow  below, 
as  if  they  might  discover  something  extraordinary 
behind  the  fast-closed  shutters. 

"  Mea,  come  quick,"  the  young  spy  exclaimed 
excitedly,  "  look!  Now  it's  opening."  Mea,  who 
was  sitting  on  the  bench  under  the  large  apple 
tree,  with  a  book,  put  aside  the  volume  and 
came  running. 

11 


MAZLI 

"  Look,  look!  Now  it's  moving,"  her  brothel 
continued  with  growing  suspense.  "  It's  the 
arm  of  a  black  coat ;  wait,  soon  the  whole  shutter 
will  be  opened." 

At  this  moment  a  black  object  lifted  itself  and 
soared  up  to  the  tower. 

"  It  was  only  a  bird,  a  large  black-bird,"  said 
the  disappointed  Mea.  "  You  have  called  me  at 
least  twenty  times  already;  every  time  you  think 
that  the  shutters  will  open,  and  they  never  do. 
You  can  call  as  often  as  you  please  from  now  on, 
I  shall  certainly  not  come  again." 

"  I  know  they  will  open  some  day,"  the  boy 
asserted  firmly,  "only  we  can't  tell  just  when; 
but  it  might  be  any  time.  If  only  stiff  old  Trius 
would  answer  the  questions  we  ask  him!  He 
knows  everything  that  is  going  on  up  there.  But 
the  old  crosspatch  never  says  a  word  when  one 
comes  near  him  to  talk;  all  he  does  is  to  come 
along  with  his  big  stick.  He  naturally  doesn't 
want  anybody  to  know  what  is  happening  up 
there,  but  everybody  in  school  knows  that  a  ghost 
wanders  about  and  sighs  through  the  pine-trees." 

"  Mother  has  said  more  than  once  that  noth- 
ing is  going  on  there  at  all.  She  doesn't  want 
you  to  talk  about  the  ghost  with  the  school-chil- 
li. 


IN  NOLLA 

dren,  and  she  has  asked  you  not  to  try  to  find  out 
what  they  know  about  it.  You  know,  too,  that 
mother  wants  you  to  call  the  castle  watchman 
Mr.  Trius  and  not  just  Trius." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I'll  call  him  Mr.  Trius,  but  I'll 
make  up  such  a  song  about  him  that  everybody 
will  know  who  it  is  about,"  Kurt  said 
threateningly. 

"  How  can  he  help  it  when  there  is  no  ghost 
in  Wildenstein  about  which  he  could  tell  you 
tales,"  Mea  remarked. 

"  Oh,  he  has  enough  to  tell,"  Kurt  eagerly  con- 
tinued. "  Many  wonderful  things  must  have  hap- 
pened in  a  castle  that  is  a  thousand  years  old.  He 
knows  them  all  and  could  tell  us,  but  his  only 
answer  to  every  question  is  a  beating.  You  know, 
Mea,  that  I  do  not  believe  in  ghosts  or  spirits. 
But  it  is  so  exciting  to  imagine  that  an  old,  old 
Baron  of  Wallerstatten  might  wander  around  the 
battlements  in  his  armor.  I  love  to  imagine  him 
standing  under  the  old  pine  trees  with  wild  eyes 
and  threatening  gestures.  I  love  to  think  of 
fighting  him,  or  telling  him  that  I  am  not  afraid." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  am  sure  you  would  run  away  if 
the  armoured  knight  with  his  wild  eyes  should 
come  nearer,"  said  Mea.    "  It  is  never  hard  to  be 

13 


MAZLI 

brave  when  one  is  as  far  away  from  danger  as 
you  are  now." 

"  Oho!  so  you  think  I  would  be  afraid  of  a 
ghost,"  Kurt  exclaimed  laughing.  "  I  am  sure 
that  the  ghost  would  rather  run  away  from  me  if 
I  shouted  at  him  very  loudly.  I  shall  make  a  song 
about  him  soon  and  then  we'll  go  up  and  sing  it 
for  him.  All  my  school  friends  want  to  go  with 
me;  Max,  Hans  and  Clevi,  his  sister.  You  must 
come,  too,  Mea,  and  then  you'll  see  how  the  ghost 
will  sneak  away  as  soon  as  we  scream  at  him  and 
sing  awfully  loud." 

"  But,  Kurt,  how  can  a  ghost,  which  doesn't 
exist,  sneak  away?  "  Mea  exclaimed.  "  With  all 
your  wild  ideas  about  fighting,  you  seem  to  really 
believe  that  there  is  a  ghost  in  Wildenstein." 

"  You  must  understand,  Mea,  that  this  is  only 
to  prove  that  there  is  none,"  Kurt  eagerly  went 
on.  "  A  real  ghost  could  rush  towards  us,  mad 
with  rage,  if  we  challenged  him  that  way.  You 
will  see  what  happens.  It  will  be  a  great  triumph 
for  me  to  prove  to  all  the  school  and  the  village 
people  that  there  is  no  restless  ghost  who  wanders 
around  Wildenstein." 

"  No,  I  shan't  see  it,  because  I  won't  come. 
Mother  does  not  want  us  to  have  anything  to  do 

14 


IN  NOLLA 

with  this  story,  you  know  that,  Kurt!  Oh,  here 
comes  Elvira !   I  must  speak  to  her." 

With  these  words  Mea  suddenly  flew  down 
the  mountain-side.  A  girl  of  her  own  age  was 
slowly  coming  up  the  incline.  It  was  hard  to  tell 
if  this  measured  walk  was  natural  to  her  or  was 
necessary  to  preserve  the  beautiful  red  and  blue 
flowers  on  her  little  hat,  which  were  not  able  to 
stand  much  commotion.  It  was  clearly  evident, 
however,  that  the  approaching  girl  had  no  inten- 
tion of  changing  her  pace,  despite  the  fact  that 
she  must  have  noticed  long  ago  the  friend  who  was 
hurrying  towards  her. 

"  She  certainly  could  move  her  proud  stilts  a 
little  quicker  when  she  sees  how  Mea  is  running," 
Kurt  said  angrily.  "  Mea  shouldn't  do  it.  Oh, 
well,  I  shall  make  a  song  about  Elvira  that  she 
won't  ever  forget." 

Kurt  now  ran  away,  too,  but  in  the  opposite 
direction,  where  he  had  discovered  his  mother. 
She  was  standing  before  a  rose-bush  from  which 
she  was  cutting  faded  blossoms  and  twigs.  Kurt 
was  glad  to  find  his  mother  busy  with  work  which 
did  not  occupy  her  thoughts,  as  he  often  longed 
for  such  an  opportunity  without  success.  When- 
ever he  was  eager  to  discuss  his  special  problems 

is 


MAZLI 

thoroughly  and  without  being  interrupted,  his 
young  brother  and  sister  were  sure  to  intrude  with 
their  questions,  or  the  two  elder  children  needed 
her  advice  at  the  same  moment.  So  Kurt  rushed 
into  the  garden  to  take  advantage  of  this  unusual 
opportunity.  But  to-day  again  he  was  not  de- 
stined to  have  his  object  fulfilled.  Before  he 
reached  his  mother,  a  woman  approached  her  from 
the  other  side,  and  both  entered  immediately  into 
a  lively  conversation.  If  it  had  been  somebody 
else  than  his  special  old  friend  Mrs.  Apollonie, 
Kurt  would  have  felt  very  angry  indeed.  But 
this  woman  had  gained  great  distinction  in  Kurt's 
eyes  by  being  well  acquainted  with  the  old  care- 
taker of  the  castle;  so  he  always  had  a  hope  of 
hearing  from  her  many  things  that  were  happen- 
ing there. 

To  his  great  satisfaction  he  heard  Mrs.  Apol- 
lonie say  on  his  approach:  "  No,  no,  Mrs.  Rector, 
old  Trius  does  not  open  any  windows  in  vain ;  he 
has  not  opened  any  for  nearly  twenty  years." 

"  He  might  want  to  wipe  away  the  dust 
for  once  in  his  life;  it's  about  time,"  Kurt's 
mother  replied.  "  I  don't  believe  the  master 
has  returned." 

16 


IN  NOLLA 

"  Why  should  the  tower  windows,  where  the 
master  always  lived,  be  opened  then?  Something 
unusual  has  happened,"  said  Mrs.  Apollonie 
significantly. 

"  The  ghost  of  Wildenstein  might  have  pushed 
them  open,"  Kurt  quickly  asserted. 

"  Kurt,  can't  you  stop  talking  about  this 
story?  It  is  only  an  invention  of  people  who  are 
not  contented  with  one  misfortune  but  must  make 
up  an  added  terror,"  the  mother  said  with  ani- 
mation. "  You  know,  Kurt,  that  I  feel  sorry 
about  this  foolish  tale  and  want  you  to  pay  no 
attention  to  it." 

"But  mother,  I  only  want  to  support  you; 
I  want  to  help  you  get  rid  of  people's  supersti- 
tions and  to  prove  to  them  that  there  is  no  ghost 
in  Wildenstein,"  Kurt  assured  her. 

"  Yes,  yes,  if  only  one  did  not  know  how  the 
brothers " 

"  No,  Apollonie,"  the  rector's  widow  inter- 
rupted her,  "  you  least  of  all  should  support  the 
belief  in  these  apparitions.  Everybody  knows 
that  you  lived  in  the  castle  more  than  twenty 
years,  and  so  people  think  that  you  know  what 
is  going  on.  You  realize  well  enough  that  all  the 
talk  has  no  foundation  whatever." 

2  17 


MAZLI 

Mrs.  Apollonie  lightly  shrugged  her  shoul- 
ders, but  said  no  more. 

"  But,  mother,  what  can  the  talk  come  from 
then,  when  there  is  no  foundation  for  it,  as  you 
say?  "  asked  Kurt,  who  could  not  let  the  mat- 
ter rest. 

"  There  is  no  real  foundation  for  the  talk,"  the 
mother  replied,  "  and  no  one  of  all  those  who  talk 
has  ever  seen  the  apparition  with  his  own  eyes. 
It  is  always  other  people  who  tell,  and  those  have 
been  told  again  by  others,  that  something  un- 
canny has  been  seen  at  the  castle.  The  talk  first 
started  from  a  misfortune  which  happened  years 
ago,  and  later  on  the  matter  came  up  and  people 
thought  a  similar  misfortune  had  taken  place 
again.  Although  this  was  an  absolutely  false 
report,  all  the  old  stories  were  brought  up  again 
and  the  talk  became  livelier  than  ever.  But 
people  who  know  better  should  be  very  emphatic 
in  suppressing  it." 

"  What  was  the  misfortune  that  happened 
long  ago  in  the  castle  and  then  again?"  Kurt 
asked  in  great  suspense. 

"  I  have  no  time  to  tell  you  now,  Kurt,"  the 
mother  declared  decisively.  "  You  have  to  attend 
to  your  school  work  and  I  to  other  affairs.    When 

18 


IN  NOLLA 

I  have  you  all  together  quietly  some  evening  I 
shall  tell  you  about  those  bygone  times.  It  will 
be  better  for  you  to  know  than  to  muse  about  all 
the  reports  you  hear.  You  are  most  active  of  all 
in  that,  Kurt,  and  I  do  not  like  it ;  so  I  hope  that' 
you  will  let  the  matter  rest  as  soon  as  you  have 
understood  how  unfounded  the  talk  really  is. 
Come  now,  Apollonie,  and  I  will  give  you  the 
plants  you  wanted.  I  am  so  glad  to  be  able  to 
let  you  have  some  of  my  geraniums.  You  keep 
your  little  flower  garden  in  such  perfect  order 
that  it  is  a  pleasure  to  see  it." 

During  the  foregoing  speeches  Apollonie's 
face  had  clearly  expressed  disagreement  with 
what  had  been  said;  she  had,  however,  too  much 
respect  for  the  lady  to  utter  her  doubts.  Bright 
sunshine  spread  itself  over  her  features  now,  be- 
cause her  flower  garden  was  her  greatest  pride 
and  joy. 

"  Yes,  yes,  Mrs.  Rector,  it  is  a  beautiful  thing 
to  raise  flowers,"  she  said,  nodding  her  head. 
"  They  always  do  their  duty,  and  if  one  grows  a 
little  to  one  side,  I  can  put  a  stick  beside  it  and  it 
grows  straight  again  as  it  ought  to.  If  only  the 
child  were  like  that,  then  I  should  have  no  more 
cares.     But  she  only  has  her  own  ideas  in  her 

19 


MAZLI 

head,  and  such  strange  whims  that  it  would  be 
hard  to  tell  where  they  come  from." 

"  There  is  nothing  bad  about  having  her  own 
ideas,"  replied  the  rector's  widow.  "  It  naturally 
depends  on  what  kind  of  ideas  they  are.  It  seems 
to  me  that  Loneli  is  a  good-natured  child,  who  is 
easily  led.  All  children  need  guidance.  What 
special  whims  does  Loneli  have?  " 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Rector,  nobody  knows  what  things 
the  child  might  do,"  Apollonie  said  eagerly. 
"  Yesterday  she  came  home  from  school  with 
glowing  eyes  and  said  to  me,  '  Grandmother,  I 
should  love  to  go  to  Spain.  Beautiful  flowers 
of  all  colors  grow  there  and  large  sparkling 
grapes,  and  the  sun  shines  down  brightly  on  the 
flowers  so  that  they  glisten!  I  wish  I  could  go 
right  away ! '  Just  think  of  a  ten-year-old 
child  saying  such  a  thing.  I  wonder  what  to 
expect  next." 

"  There  is  nothing  very  terrible  about  that, 
Apollonie,"  said  the  rector's  widow  with  a  smile. 
"  The  child  might  have  heard  you  mention  Spain 
yourself  so  that  it  roused  her  imagination.  She 
probably  heard  in  school  about  the  country,  and 
her  wish  to  go  there  only  shows  that  she  is  ex- 
tremely attentive.    To  think  out  how  she  might 

20 


IN  NOLLA 

get  there  some  time  is  a  very  innocent  pleasure, 
which  you  can  indulge.  I  agree  with  you  that 
children  should  be  brought  up  in  a  strict  and 
orderly  way,  because  they  might  otherwise  start 
on  the  wrong  road,  and  nobody  loves  such  chil- 
iren.  But  Loneli  is  not  that  kind  at  all.  There 
is  no  child  in  Nolla  whom  I  would  rather  see 
with  my  own." 

Apollonie's  honest  face  glowed  anew.  "  That 
is  my  greatest  consolation,"  she  said,  "  and  I  need 
it.  Many  say  to  me  that  an  old  woman  like  me  is 
not  able  to  bring  up  and  manage  a  little  child. 
If  you  once  were  obliged  to  say  to  me  that  I  had 
spoiled  my  grandchild,  I  should  die  of  shame. 
But  I  know  that  the  matter  is  still  well,  as  long 
as  you  like  to  see  the  child  together  with  yours. 
Thank  you  ever  so  much  now.  Those  will  fill  a 
whole  bed,"  she  continued,  upon  receiving  a  large 
bunch  of  plants  from  her  kind  friend.  "  Please 
let  me  know  if  I  can  help  in  any  way.  I  am 
always  at  home  for  you,  Mrs.  Rector,  you 
know  that." 

Apollonie  now  said  good-bye  with  renewed 
thanks.  Carrying  her  large  green  bundle  very 
carefully  in  order  not  to  injure  the  tender  little 
branches,  she  hurried  through  the  garden  towards 

21 


MAZLI 

the  castle  height.  The  rector's  widow  glanced 
after  her  thoughtfully.  Apollonie  was  intimately 
connected  with  the  earliest  impressions  of  her 
childhood,  as  well  as  with  the  experiences  of  her 
youth,  with  all  the  people  whom  she  had  loved 
most  and  who  had  stood  nearest  to  her.  Her 
appearance  therefore  always  brought  up  many 
memories  in  Mrs.  Maxa's  heart.  Since  her  hus- 
band's death,  when  she  had  left  the  rectory  in  the 
valley  and  had  come  back  to  her  old  home,  all  her 
friends  called  her  Mrs.  Maxa  to  distinguish  her 
from  the  present  rector's  wife  of  the  village.  She 
had  been  used  to  see  Apollonie  in  her  parents' 
house.  Baroness  Wallerstatten,  the  mistress  of 
the  castle  at  that  time,  had  often  consulted  the 
rector  as  to  many  things.  Apollonie,  a  young  girl 
then,  had  always  been  her  messenger,  and  every- 
one liked  to  see  her  at  the  rectory.  When  it  was 
discovered  how  quick  and  able  young  Apollonie 
was,  things  were  more  and  more  given  into  her 
charge  at  the  castle.  The  Baroness  hardly  under- 
took anything  in  her  household  without  consult- 
ing Apollonie  and  asking  her  assistance.  The 
children,  who  were  growing  up,  also  asked  many 
favors  from  her,  which  she  was  ever  ready  to  ful- 
fill.   The  devoted,  faithful  servant  belonged  many 

22 


IN  NOLLA 

years  so  entirely  to  the  castle  that  everyone  called 
her  "  Castle  Apollonie." 

Mrs.  Maxa  was  suddenly  interrupted  in 
her  thoughts  by  loud  and  repeated  calls  of 
"Mama,  Mama!" 

"Mama!"  it  sounded  once  more  from  two 
clear  children's  voices,  and  a  little  boy  and  girl 
stood  before  her.  "  The  teacher  has  read  us  a 
paper  on  which  was  written "  began  the  boy. 

"  Shall  I,  too;  shall  I,  too? "  interrupted 
the  girl. 

"  Mazli,"  said  the  mother,  "  let  Lippo  finish; 
otherwise  I  can't  understand  what  you  want." 

"  Mama,  the  teacher  has  read  us  a  paper, 
on  which  was  written  that  in  Sils  on  the 
mountain " 

"  Shall  I,  too?  Shall  I,  too?  "  Mazli,  his  sister, 
interrupted  again. 

"  Be  quiet,  Mazli,  till  Lippo  has  finished,"  the 
mother  commanded. 

"  He  has  said  the  same  thing  twice  already 
and  he  is  so  slow.  There  hajs  been  a  fire  in  Sils 
on  the  mountain  and  we  are  to  send  things  to  the 
people.  Shall  I  do  it,  too,  Mama,  shall  I,  too? " 
Mazli  had  told  it  all  in  a  single  breath. 

"You  didn't  say  it  right,"  Lippo  retorted 


MAZLI 

angrily.  "  You  didn't  start  from  the  beginning. 
One  must  not  start  in  the  middle,  the  teacher  told 
us  that.  Now  I'll  tell  you,  Mama.  The  teacher 
has  read  us  a  paper " 

"  We  know  that  already,  Lippo,"  the  mother 
remarked.    "  What  was  in  the  paper  ?  " 

"  In  the  paper  was  written  that  a  big  fire  in 
Sils  on  the  mountain  has  destroyed  two  houses 
and  everything  in  them.  Then  the  teacher  said 
that  all  the  pupils  of  the  class " 

"  Shall  I  too,  shall  I,  too?  "  Mazli  urged. 

"  Finish  a  little  quicker  now,  Lippo,"  said 
the  mother. 

"  Then  the  teacher  said  that  all  the  pupils 
from  all  the  classes  must  bring  some  of  their 
things  to  give  to  the  poor  children " 

"  Shall  I  too,  Mama,  shall  I  go  right  away  and 
get  together  all  they  need?  "  Mazli  said  rapidly, 
as  if  the  last  moment  for  action  had  arrived. 

"  Yes,  you  can  give  some  of  your  clothes  and 
Lippo  can  bring  some  of  his,"  the  mother  said. 
"  I  shall  help  you,, for  we  have  plenty  of  time. 
To-morrow  is  Sunday  and  the  children  are  sure 
not  to  bring  their  things  to  school  before  Monday, 
as  the  teacher  will  want  to  send  them  off  himself." 

Lippo   agreed   and  was  just  beginning  to 

24 


IN  NOLLA 

repeat  the  exact  words  of  the  teacher  in  which  he 
had  asked  for  contributions.  But  he  had  no 
chance  to  do  it. 

Kurt  came  running  up  at  this  moment,  calling 
so  loudly  that  nothing  else  could  possibly  be 
heard:  "  Mother,  I  forgot  to  give  you  a  message. 
Bruno  is  not  coming  home  for  supper.  The 
Rector  is  climbing  High  Ems  with  him  and  the 
two  other  boys.  They  will  only  be  home  at 
nine  o'clock." 

The  mother  looked  a  little  frightened.  "  Are 
the  two  others  his  comrades,  the  Knippel  boys?  " 

Kurt  assented. 

"  I  hope  everything  will  go  well,"  she  contin- 
ued. "  When  those  three  are  together  outside  of 
school  they  always  quarrel.  When  we  came  here 
first  I  was  so  glad  that  Bruno  would  have  them 
for  friends,  but  now  I  am  in  continual  fear  that 
they  will  clash." 

"  Yes,  mother,"  Kurt  asserted,  "  you  would 
never  have  been  glad  of  that  friendship  if  you  had 
really  known  them.  Wherever  they  can  harm 
anybody  they  are  sure  to  do  it,  and  always  behind 
people's  backs.  And  Bruno  always  is  like  a 
loaded  gun-barrel,  just  a  little  spark  and  he  is  on 
fire  and  explodes." 

25 


MAZLI 

"  It  is  time  to  go  in,"  said  the  mother  now, 
taking  the  two  youngest  by  the  hand.  Kurt  fol- 
lowed. It  had  not  escaped  him  that  an  expression 
of  sorrow  had  spread  over  his  mother's  face  after 
his  words.    He  hated  to  see  his  mother  worried. 

"  Oh,  mother,"  he  said  confidently,  "  there  is 
no  reason  for  you  to  be  upset.  If  Bruno  does 
anything  to  them,  they  are  sure  to  give  it  back  to 
him  in  double  measure.  They'll  do  it  in  a  sneaky 
way,  because  they  are  afraid  of  him  in  the 
open  field." 

"  Do  you  really  think  that  this  reassures  me, 
Kurt  ? "  she  asked  turning  towards  him.  Kurt 
now  realized  that  his  words  could  not  exactly  com- 
fort his  mother,  but  he  felt  that  some  help  should 
be  found,  for  he  was  always  able  to  discover  such 
a  good  side  to  every  evil,  that  the  latter  was  swal- 
lowed up.  He  saw  an  advantage  now.  "  You 
know,  mother,  when  Bruno  has  discharged  his 
thunder,  it  is  all  over  for  good.  Then  he  is  like  a 
scrubbed  out  gun-barrel,  all  clean  and  polished. 
Isn't  that  better  than  if  things  would  keep  stick- 
ing there? " 

Mea,  standing  at  the  open  window,  was  beck- 
oning to  the  approaching  group  with  lively  ges- 
tures; it  meant  that  the  time  for  supper  was 

26 


IN  NOLLA 

already  overdue.  Kurt,  rushing  to  her  side,  in- 
formed her  that  their  mother  meant  to  tell  them 
the  story  of  Wallerstatten  as  soon  as  everything 
was  quiet  that  night  and  the  little  ones  were  put 
to  bed:  "  Just  mark  now  if  we  won't  hear  about 
the  ghost  of  Wallerstatten,"  he  remarked  at  the 
end.  Kurt  was  mistaken,  however.  Everything 
was  still  and  quiet  long  ago,  the  little  ones  were 
in  bed  and  the  last  lessons  were  done.  But  Bruno 
had  not  yet  returned.  Over  and  over  again  the 
mother  looked  at  the  clock. 

"  You  must  not  be  afraid,  mother,  that  they 
will  have  a  quarrel,  because  the  rector  is  with 
them,',  Kurt  said  consolingly. 

Now  rapid  steps  sounded  outside,  the  door 
was  violently  flung  open  and  Bruno  appeared, 
pale  with  rage:  "Those  two  mean  creatures, 
those  malicious  rascals ;  the  sneaky  hypocrites ! — 
the— the " 

"  Bruno,  no  more  please,"  the  mother  inter- 
rupted. "  You  are  beside  yourself.  Come  sit 
down  with  us  and  tell  us  what  happened  as  soon 
as  you  feel  more  quiet;  but  no  more  such 
words,  please." 

It  took  a  considerable  time  before  Bruno 
could  tell  his  experience  without  breaking  out 

27 


MAZLI 

again.  He  told  them  finally  that  the  rector  had 
mentioned  the  castle  of  High  Ems  in  their  lessons 
that  day.  After  asking  his  pupils  if  they  had  ever 
inspected  the  famous  ruins  they  had  all  said  no,  so 
the  rector  invited  the  three  big  boys  to  join  him 
in  a  walk  to  see  the  castle.  It  was  quite  a  distance 
away  and  they  had  examined  the  ruins  very  thor- 
oughly. Afterwards  the  rector  had  taken  them  to 
a  neighboring  inn  for  a  treat,  so  that  it  was  dark 
already  when  they  were  walking  down  the  village 
street.  "  Just  where  the  footpath,  which  comes 
from  the  large  farmhouse  crosses  the  road," 
Bruno  continued,  "  Loneli  came  running  along 
with  a  full  milk-bottle  in  her  arm.  That  scoun- 
drel Edwin  quickly  put  out  his  foot  in  front  of 
her  and  Loneli  fell  down  her  whole  length;  the 
milk  bottle  flew  far  off  and  the  milk  poured  down 
the  road  like  a  small  white  stream.  The  boys 
nearly  choked  with  laughter  and  all  I  was  able 
to  do  was  to  give  Edwin  a  sound  box  on  the  ear," 
Bruno  concluded,  nearly  boiling  with  rage. 
"  Such  a  coward !  He  ran  right  off  after  the  Rec- 
tor, who  had  gone  ahead  and  had  not  seen  it. 
Loneli  went  silently  away,  crying  to  herself.  I'd 
like  to  have  taken  hold  of  both  of  them  and  given 
them  proper " 

28 


IN  NOLLA 

"  Yes,  and  Loneli  is  sure  to  be  scolded  by  her 
grandmother  for  having  spilled  the  milk,"  Mea 
interrupted;  "  she  always  thinks  that  Loneli  is 
careless  and  that  it  is  always  her  own  fault  when 
somebody  harms  her.  She  is  always  punished 
for  the  slightest  little  fault." 

"  But  she  never  defends  herself,"  Kurt  said, 
half  in  anger,  partly  with  pity.  "If  those  two 
ever  tried  to  harm  Clevi,  they  would  soon  get  their 
faces  scratched;  Apollonie  has  brought  Loneli 
up  the  wrong  way." 

"  Should  you  like  to  see  Loneli  jump  at  a 
boy's  face  and  scratch  it,  Kurt? "  asked  the 
mother. 

After  meditating  a  while  Kurt  replied,  "  I 
guess  I  really  shouldn't." 

"  Don't  you  all  like  Loneli  because  she  never 
gets  rough  and  always  is  friendly,  obliging  and 
cheerful?  Her  grandmother  really  loves  her  very 
much;  but  she  is  a  very  honest  woman  and  wor- 
ries about  the  child  just  because  she  is  anxious 
to  bring  her  up  well.  I  should  be  extremely  sorry 
if  she  scolded  Loneli  in  the  first  excitement  about 
the  spilled  milk.  The  boys  should  have  gotten  the 
blame,  and  I  am  sure  that  Apollonie  will  be  sorry 
if  she  hears  later  on  what  really  happened." 

29 


MAZLI 

"  I'll  quickly  run  over  and  tell  her  about  it," 
Kurt  suggested.  The  mother  explained  to  him, 
however,  that  grandmother  and  grandchild  were 
probably  fast  asleep  by  that  time. 

"  Are  we  going  to  have  the  story  of  Castle 
Wildenstein  for  a  finish  now?  "  he  inquired.  But 
his  mother  had  already  risen,  pointing  to  the  wall 
clock,  and  Kurt  saw  that  the  usual  time  for  going 
to  bed  had  passed.  As  the  following  day  was  a 
Sunday,  he  was  satisfied.  They  generally  had 
quiet  evenings  then  and  there  would  be  no  inter- 
ruptions to  the  story.  Bruno,  too,  had  now 
calmed  down.  It  had  softened  him  that  his 
mother  had  found  the  Knippel  boys'  behaviour 
contemptible  and  that  she  had  not  excused  them 
in  the  least.  He  might  have  told  the  Rector  about 
it,  but  such  accusations  he  despised.  He  felt  quite 
appeased  since  his  mother  had  shared  his  indig- 
nation and  knew  about  the  matter.  Soon  the 
house  lay  peacefully  slumbering  under  the  frag- 
rant apple  trees.  The  golden  moon  above  was 
going  her  way  and  seemed  to  look  down  with 
friendly  eyes,  as  if  she  was  gratified  that  the  house, 
which  was  filled  all  day  with  such  noise  and 
lively  movement,  was  standing  there  so  calm 
and  peaceful. 

30 


CHAPTER  II 

DIVERS  WORRIES 

BEFORE  the  mother  went  off  to  church  on 
Sunday  morning  she  always  glanced  into 
the  living-room  to  see  if  the  children  were 
quietly  settled  at  their  different  occupations  and 
to  hope  that  everything  would  remain  in  order 
during  her  absence.  When  she  looked  in  to-day 
everything  was  peaceful.  Bruno  and  Mea  were 
both  sitting  in  a  corner  lost  in  a  book,  Kurt  had 
spread  out  his  drawings  on  a  table  before  him, 
and  Lippo  and  Mazli  were  building  on  their  small 
table  a  beautiful  town  with  churches,  towers  and 
large  palaces.  The  mother  was  thoroughly  satis- 
fied and  went  away.  For  awhile  everything  was 
still.  A  bright  ray  of  sunshine  fell  over  Kurt's 
drawing  and  gaily  played  about  on  the  paper. 
Kurt,  looking  up,  saw  how  the  meadows  were 
sparkling  outside. 

"  The  two  rascally  milk-spillers  from  yester- 
day ought  to  be  locked  up  for  the  whole  day," 
Kurt  suddenly  exploded. 

Mea  apparently  had  been  busy  with  the  same 

31 


MAZLI 

thought  for  she  assented  very  eagerly.  The  two 
talked  over  the  whole  affair  anew  and  had  to  give 
vent  to  their  indignation  about  the  scoundrels  and 
their  pity  for  poor  Loneli.  Mazli  must  have 
found  the  conversation  entertaining,  for  glancing 
over  to  the  others,  she  let  Lippo  place  the  blocks 
whichever  way  he  pleased,  something  that  very 
seldom  happened.  Only  when  the  children  said 
no  more  she  came  back  to  her  task. 

"Goodness  gracious!"  Kurt  exclaimed  sud- 
denly, starting  up  from  his  drawing;  "  you  ought 
to  have  reminded  me,  Mea,  that  we  have  to  bring 
some  clothes  to  school  for  the  poor  people  whose 
houses  were  burnt  up.  You  heard  it,  but  mother 
does  not  even  know  about  it  yet." 

"  I  forgot  it,  too,"  said  Mea  quietly,  contin- 
uing to  read. 

"  Mother  knows  about  it  long  ago.  I  told  her 
right  away,"  Lippo  declared.  "  Teacher  told  us 
to  be  sure  not  to  forget." 

"  Quite  right,  little  school  fox,"  Kurt  replied, 
while  he  calmly  kept  on  drawing.  As  long  as  his 
mother  knew  about  the  matter  he  did  not  need  to 
bother  any  more. 

But  the  last  words  had  interested  Mazli  very 
much.     Throwing  together  the  houses,   towers 

32 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

and  churches  she  said  to  Lippo,  "  Come,  Lippo, 
I  know  something  amusing  we  can  do  which  will 
please  mama,  too." 

Lippo  wondered  what  that  could  be,  but  he 
first  laid  every  block  neatly  away  in  the  big  box 
and  did  not  let  Mazli  hurry  him  in  the  least. 

"  Don't  do  it  that  way,"  Mazli  called  out  im- 
patiently. "  Throw  them  all  in  and  put  on  the 
lid.    Then  it's  all  done." 

"  One  must  not  do  that,  Mazli;  no  one  must  do 
it  that  way,"  Lippo  said  seriously.  "  One  ought 
to  put  in  the  first  block  and  pack  it  before  one 
takes  up  the  second." 

"  Then  I  won't  wait  for  you,"  Mazli  declared,, 
rapidly  whisking  out  by  the  door. 

When  Lippo  had  properly  filled  the  box  and 
set  it  in  its  right  place,  he  quickly  followed  Mazli, 
wondering  what  her  plan  was.  But  he  could  find 
her  nowhere,  neither  in  the  hall  nor  in  the  garden, 
and  he  got  no  answer  to  his  loud,  repeated  calls. 
Finally  a  reply  came  which  sounded  strangely 
muffled,  as  if  from  up  above,  so  he  went  up  and 
into  her  bedroom.  There  Mazli  was  sitting  in 
the  middle  of  a  heap  of  clothes,  her  head  thrust 
far  into  a  wardrobe.  Apparently  she  was  still 
pulling  out  more  things. 


MAZLI 

"  You  certainly  are  doing  something  wonder- 
ful," said  Lippo,  glancing  with  his  big  eyes  at 
the  clothes  on  the  floor. 

"  I  am  doing  the  right  thing,"  said  Mazli 
now  in  the  most  decided  tone.  "  Kurt  has  said 
that  we  must  send  the  poor  people  some  clothes, 
so  we  must  take  them  all  out  and  lay  together 
everything  we  don't  need  any  more.  Mama  will 
be  glad  when  she  has  no  more  to  do  about  it  and 
they  can  be  sent  away  to-morrow.  Now  get  your 
things,  too,  and  we'll  put  them  all  in  a  heap." 

The  matter,  however,  seemed  still  rather 
doubtful  to  Lippo.  Standing  thoughtfully  be- 
fore all  the  little  skirts  and  jackets,  he  felt  that 
this  would  not  be  quite  after  his  mother's  wish. 

"  When  we  want  to  do  something  with  our 
clothes,  we  always  have  to  ask  mother,"  he  be- 
gan again. 

But  Mazli  did  not  answer  and  only  pulled  out 
a  bunch  of  woolen  stockings  and  a  heavy  winter 
cloak,  spreading  everything  on  the  floor. 

"  No,  I  won't  do  it,"  said  Lippo  again,  after 
scrutinizing  the  unusual  performance. 

"  You  don't  want  to  do  it  because  you  are 
afraid  it  will  be  too  much  work,"  Mazli  asserted 
with  a  face  quite  red  with  zeal.     "I'll  help  you 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

when  I  am  done  here." 

"  I  won't  do  it  anyhow,"  Lippo  repeated  reso- 
lutely; "  I  won't  because  we  are  not  allowed  to." 

"  Mazli  found  no  time  to  persuade  him  fur- 
ther, as  she  began  to  hunt  for  her  heavy  winter 
shoes,  which  were  still  in  the  wardrobe.  But  be- 
fore she  had  brought  them  forth  to  the  light,  the 
door  opened  and  the  mother  was  looking  full  of 
horror  at  the  devastation. 

"  But  children,  what  a  horrible  disorder!  "  she 
cried  out,  "  and  on  Sunday  morning,  too.  What 
has  made  you  do  it?  What  is  this  wild  dry-goods 
shop  on  the  floor?  " 

"  Now,  you  see,  Mazli,"  said  Lippo,  not  with- 
out, showing  great  satisfaction  at  having  so  clearly 
proved  that  he  had  been  in  the  right.  Mazli  tried 
with  all  her  might  to  prove  to  her  mother  that  her 
intention  had  solely  been  to  save  her  the  work 
necessary  to  get  the  things  together. 

But  the  mother  now  explained  decidedly  to 
the  little  girl  that  she  never  needed  to  undertake 
such  actions  in  the  future  as  she  could  not  possibly 
judge  which  clothes  she  still  needed  and  which 
could  be  given  away.  Mazli  was  also  told  that 
such  help  on  her  part  only  resulted  in  double  work 
for  her  mother.     "  Besides  I  can  see  Mazli,"  the 

35 


MAZLI 

mother  concluded,  "  that  your  great  zeal  seems 
to  come  from  a  wish  to  get  rid  of  all  the  things 
you  don't  like  to  wear  yourself.  All  your  woolen 
things,  which  you  always  say  scratch  your  skin. 
So  you  do  not  mind  if  other  children  have 
them,  Mazli?" 

"  They  might  like  them  better  than  to  be 
cold,"  was  Mazli's  opinion. 

"  Oh,  mother,  Mrs.  Knippel  is  coming  up  the 
road  toward  our  house ;  I  am  sure  she  is  coming  to 
see  us,"  said  Lippo,  who  had  gone  to  the  window. 

"  And  I  have  not  even  taken  my  things  off  on 
account  of  your  disorder  here,"  said  the  mother 
a  little  frightened.  "  Mazli,  go  and  greet  Mrs. 
Knippel  and  take  her  into  the  front  room.  Tell 
her  that  I  have  just  come  from  church  and  that  I 
shall  come  directly." 

Mazli  ran  joyfully  away;  the  errand  seemed 
to  please  her.  She  received  the  guest  with  ex- 
cellent manners  and  led  her  into  the  front 
room  to  the  sofa,  for  Mazli  knew  exactly  the 
way  her  mother  always  did.  Then  she  gave  her 
mother's  message. 

"  Very  well,  very  well,  And  what  do  you 
want  to  do  on  this  beautiful  Sunday? "  the 
lady  asked. 

36 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

"  Take  a  walk,"  Mazli  answered  rapidly. 
"Are  they  still  locked  up?"  she  then  casually 
asked. 

"  Who?  Who?  Whom  do  you  mean?  "  and 
the  lady  looked  somewhat  disapprovingly  at  the 
little  girl. 

"  Edwin  and  Eugen,"  Mazli  answered 
fearlessly. 

"  I  should  like  to  know  where  you  get  such 
ideas,"  the  lady  said  with  growing  irritation.  "  I 
should  like  to  know  why  the  boys  should  be 
locked  up." 

"  Because  they  are  so  mean  to  Loneli  all  the 
time,"  Mazli  declared. 

The  mother  entered  now.  To  her  friendly 
greeting  she  only  received  a  very  cold  reply. 

"  I  only  wonder,  Mrs.  Rector,"  the  guest  be- 
gan immediately  in  an  irritated  manner,  "  what 
meanness  that  little  poison-toad  of  a  Loneli  has 
spread  and  invented  about  my  boys.  But  I  won- 
der still  more  that  some  people  should  believe 
such  things." 

Mrs.  Maxa  was  very  much  astonished  that 
her  visitor  should  have  already  heard  what  had 
taken  place  the  night  before,  as  she  knew  that  her 
sons  would  not  speak  of  it  of  their  own  free  will. 

37 


MAZLI 

"  As  long  as  you  know  about  it  already,  I  shall 
tell  you  what  happened,"  she  said.  "  You  have 
apparently  been  misinformed.  It  had  nothing  to 
do  whatever  with  a  meanness  on  Loneli's  part. 
Mazli,  please  join  the  other  children  and  stay 
there  till  I  come,"  the  mother  interrupted  herself, 
turning  to  the  little  girl,  whose  eyes  had  been  ex- 
pectantly glued  on  the  visitor's  face  in  the  hope 
of  hearing  if  the  two  boys  were  still  locked  up. 

Mazli  walked  away  slowly,  still  hoping  that 
she  would  hear  the  news  before  she  reached  the 
door.  But  Mazli  was  doomed  to  be  disappointed, 
as  no  word  was  spoken.  Then  Mrs.  Maxa  related 
the  incident  of  the  evening  before  as  it  occurred. 

"  That  is  nothing  at  all,"  said  the  district 
attorney's  wife  in  answer.  "  Those  are  only  child- 
ish jokes.  All  children  hold  out  their  feet  some- 
times to  trip  each  other.  Such  things  should 
not  be  reckoned  as  faults  big  enough  to  scold 
children  for." 

"  I  do  not  agree  with  you,"  said  Mrs.  Maxa. 
"  Such  kinds  of  jokes  are  very  much  akin  to 
roughness,  and  from  small  cruelties  larger  ones 
soon  result.  Loneli  has  really  suffered  harm  from 
this  action,  and  I  think  that  joking  ceases  under 
such  circumstances." 

38 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

"  As  I  said,  it  is  not  worth  the  trouble  of  los- 
ing so  many  words  about.  I  feel  decidedly  that 
too  much  fuss  is  made  about  the  grandmother  and 
the  child.  Apollonie  does  not  seem  to  get  it  out 
of  her  head  that  her  name  was  Castle- Apollonie 
and  she  carries  her  head  so  high  that  the  child 
will  soon  learn  it  from  her.  But  I  have  come  to 
talk  with  you  about  something  much  more  im- 
portant." The  visitor  now  gave  her  listener  some 
information  that  seemed  to  be  far  from  pleasing 
to  Mrs.  Maxa,  because  the  face  of  the  latter  be- 
came more  and  more  worried  all  the  time.  Mrs. 
Knippel  and  her  husband  had  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  time  had  come  when  their  sons 
should  be  sent  to  the  neighboring  town  in  order 
to  enter  the  lowest  classes  of  the  high  school. 
The  Rector's  teaching  had  been  sufficient  till  now, 
but  they  felt  that  the  boys  had  outgrown  him  and 
belonged  to  a  more  advanced  school.  So  they  had 
decided  to  find  a  good  boarding  place  for  the 
three  boys  together,  as  Bruno  would  naturally 
join  them  in  order  that  they  could  remain  to- 
gether. Since  the  three  would,  in  later  years, 
have  great  authority  in  the  little  community,  it 
would  be  splendid  if  they  were  educated  alike  and 
could  agree  thoroughly  in  everything.    "  My  hus- 

39 


MAZLI 

band  means  to  go  to  town  in  the  near  future 
and  look  for  a  suitable  house  where  they  can 
board,"  the  speaker  concluded.  "  I  am  sure  that 
you  will  be  grateful  if  the  question  is  solved  for 
Bruno,  as  you  would  otherwise  be  obliged  to 
settle  it  yourself." 

Frau  Maxa's  heart  was  very  heavy  at  this 
news.  She  already  saw  the  consequences  and  pic- 
tured the  terrible  scenes  that  would  result  if  the 
three  boys  were  obliged  to  live  closely  together. 

"  The  thought  of  sending  Bruno  away  from 
home  already  troubles  me  greatly,"  she  said 
finally.  "  I  do  not  see  the  necessity  for  it.  Our 
rector,  who  has  offered  to  teach  them  out  of  pure 
kindness,  means  to  keep  the  boys  under  his  care 
till  a  year  from  next  spring.  They  are  able  to 
learn  plenty  still  from  him.  However,  if  you 
have  resolved  to  send  your  sons  away,  I  shall  be 
obliged  to  do  the  same,  as  the  Rector  could  not 
continue  the  lessons  for  Bruno  alone."  Mrs. 
Maxa  declined  the  offer  of  her  visitor  to  look 
up  a  dwelling-place  for  Bruno,  as  she  had  to  talk 
the  matter  over  first  with  her  brother.  He  was 
always  her  counsellor  in  these  things,  because  he 
was  the  children's  guardian. 

40 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

The  district  attorney's  wife  did  not  seem 
gratified  with  this  information.  As  she  was 
anxious  to  have  the  matter  settled  then  and  there, 
she  remarked  rather  sarcastically  that  a  mother 
should  be  able  to  decide  such  matters  alone. 
"  The  boys  are  sensible  enough  to  behave  properly 
without  being  constantly  watched,"  she  added. 
"  I  can  certainly  say  that  mine  are,  and  where 
two  hold  to  the  right  path,  a  third  is  sure 
to  follow." 

"  My  eldest  is  never  one  to  follow  blindly," 
Mrs.  Maxa  said  with  animation.  "  I  should  not 
wish  it  either  in  this  case.  I  shall  keep  him  at 
home  as  long  as  it  is  possible  for  me,  and  after  that 
I  shall  send  him  away  under  God's  protection." 

"  Just  as  you  say,"  the  other  lady  uttered,  ris- 
ing and  taking  leave.  "  We  can  talk  the  question 
of  boarding  over  again  another  time,"  she  re- 
marked as  she  was  going  away;  "  when  the  time 
comes,  my  husband's  preparation  for  the  future 
will  be  welcome,  I  am  sure." 

When  the  mother,  after  escorting  her  guest, 
came  back  to  the  children's  room,  Mazli  imme- 
diately called  out,  "  Did  she  say  if  the  two  are 
still  locked  up?" 

41 


MAZLI 

"  What  are  you  inventing,  Mazli?  "  said  the 
mother.  "  You  probably  don't  know  yourself 
what  it  means." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know,"  Mazli  assured  her.  "  I 
asked  her  if  the  boys  were  still  locked  up  because 
Kurt  said  that." 

Kurt  laughed  out  loud:  "  Oh,  you  naughty 
child  to  talk  so  wild!  Because  I  say  that  those 
two  ought  to  be  locked  up,  Mazli  runs  over  and 
immediately  asks  their  mother  that  question." 

Mrs.  Maxa  now  understood  clearly  where  her 
visitor  had  heard  about  her  boy's  behaviour 
of  yesterday. 

"  Mazli,"  she  said  admonishingly,  "  have  you 
forgotten  that  you  are  not  to  ask  questions  of 
grown-up  people  who  come  to  see  me?  " 

"  But  why  shouldn't  I  ask  what  the  locked-up 
children  are  doing?  "  Mazli  declared,  feigning 
great  pity  in  her  voice. 

"  Now  the  foxy  little  thing  wants  to  incline 
mother  to  be  comforted  by  pretending  to  pity 
them,"  Kurt  declared. 

Suddenly  a  terrific  shout  of  joy  sounded  from 
all  voices  at  once  as  they  all  called :  "  Uncle  Phipp ! 
Uncle  Phipp !  "  In  a  moment  they  had  disap- 
peared through  the  door. 

42 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

Kurt  jumped  out  through  the  window,  which 
was  not  dangerous  for  him  and  was  the  shortest 
way  to  the  street.  The  mother  also  ran  outside 
to  greet  Uncle  Phipp  who  was  her  only  brother. 
He  lived  on  his  estate  in  Sils  valley,  which  was 
famous  for  its  fruit.  He  was  always  the  most 
welcome  guest  in  his  sister's  house.  He  had  been 
away  on  a  journey  and  had  not  made  his  appear- 
ance for  several  weeks  in  Nolla,  and  his  coming 
was  therefore  greeted  with  special  enthusiasm. 
One  could  hardly  guess  that  there  was  an  uncle 
in  the  midst  of  the  mass  which  was  moving  for- 
ward and  taking  up  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
road.  The  five  children  were  hanging  on  to  him 
on  all  sides  in  such  a  way  that  it  looked  as  if  one 
solid  person  was  walking  along  on  many  feet. 

"  Maxa,  I  have  no  hand  for  you  as  you  can 
see,"  the  brother  saluted  her.  "  I  greet  you  heart- 
ily, though,  with  my  head,  which  I  can  still  nod.'* 

"  No,  I  want  to  have  your  hand,"  Mrs.  Maxa 
replied.  "  Lippo  can  let  your  right  hand  go  for  a 
moment.  How  are  you,  Philip  ?  Welcome  home ! 
Did  you  have  a  pleasant  journey  and  did  you 
find  what  you  were  looking  for?  " 

"  All  has  gone  to  my  greatest  satisfaction. 
Forward  now,  young  people,  because  I  want  to 

43 


MAZLI 

take  off  my  overcoat,"  the  uncle  commanded. 
"  It  is  filled  with  heavy  objects  which  might  pull 
me  to  the  ground." 

Shouting  with  joy,  the  five  now  pushed  their 
uncle  into  the  house ;  they  had  all  secretly  guessed 
what  the  heavy  objects  in  his  long  pockets  were. 
When  the  uncle  had  reached  the  house,  he  insisted 
on  taking  off  his  coat  alone  in  order  to  prevent  the 
things  from  being  hurt.  He  had  to  hang  it  up 
because  the  mother  insisted  that  they  should  go 
to  lunch  and  postpone  everything  else  till  the 
afternoon.  The  next  difficult  and  important 
question  to  be  settled  was,  who  should  be  allowed 
to  sit  beside  Uncle  Philip  at  dinner,  because  those 
next  had  the  best  chance  to  talk  to  him.  He 
chose  the  youngest  two  to-day.  Leading  him  in 
triumph  to  the  inviting-looking  table,  they  placed 
him  in  their  midst  with  joyfully  sparkling  eyes. 
It  was  a  merry  meal.  The  children  were  allowed 
to  ask  him  all  they  wanted  to  and  he  told  them 
so  many  amusing  things  about  his  travels  that 
they  could  never  get  weary  of  listening.  Last 
of  all  the  good  things  came  the  Sunday  cake,  and 
when  that  was  eaten,  Mazli  showed  great  signs 
of  impatience,  as  if  the  best  of  all  were  still 
to  come. 

44 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

"  I  think  that  Mazli  has  noticed  something," 
said  the  uncle;  "  and  one  must  never  let  such  a 
small  and  inquisitive  nose  point  into  empty  air 
for  too  long.  We  must  look  now  what  my  over- 
coat has  brought  back  from  the  ship." 

Mazli  who  had  already  jumped  up  from  her 
chair  seized  her  uncle's  hand  as  soon  as  he  rose. 
She  wanted  to  be  as  close  to  him  as  possible  while 
he  was  emptying  the  two  deep  pockets.  What 
lovely  red  books  came  out  first!  He  presented 
them  to  Bruno  and  Kurt  who  appeared  extremely 
pleased  with  their  presents. 

"  This  is  for  mother  for  her  mending"  Mazli 
called  out  looking  with  suspense  at  her  uncle's 
fingers.  He  was  just  pulling  out  a  dainty  little 
sewing  case. 

"  You  guessed  wrong  that  time,  Mazli,"  he 
said.  "  Your  mother  gets  a  present,  too,  but  this 
is  for  Mea,  who  is  getting  to  be  a  young  lady. 
She  will  Svxm  visit  her  friends  with  the  sewing- 
case  under  her  arm." 

"  Oh,  how  lovely,  uncle,  how  lovely! "  Mea 
cried  out,  altogether  enchanted  with  her  gift.  "  I 
wish  you  had  brought  some  friends  for  me  with 
you ;  they  are  hard  enough  to  find  here." 

"  I  promise  to  do  that  another  time,  Mea. 

45 


MAZLI 

To-day  there  was  no  more  room  for  them  in  my 
overcoat.  But  now  comes  the  most  important 
thing  of  all!"  and  with  these  words  the  uncle 
pulled  a  large  box  out  of  each  pocket.  "  These 
are  for  the  small  people,"  he  said,  "  but  do  not 
mix  them  up.  In  one  are  stamping  little  horses, 
and  in  the  other  little  steaming  pots.  Which  is 
for  Mazli?  " 

"  The  stamping  horses,"  she  said  quickly. 

"  I  don't  think  so.  Take  it  now  and  look," 
said  the  uncle.  When  Lippo  had  received  his  box 
also,  the  two  ran  over  to  their  table,  but  Mazli 
suddenly  paused  half-way. 

"  Uncle  Philip,"  she  asked  eagerly,  "  has 
mother  gotten  something,  too,  something  nice? 
Can  I  see  it?" 

"  Yes,  something  very  nice,"  the  uncle  an- 
swered, "  but  she  has  not  gotten  it  yet ;  one  can't 
see  it,  but  one  can  hear  it." 

"  Oh,  a  piano,"  Mazli  guessed  quickly. 

"  No,  no,  Mazli;  you  might  see  as  much  as 
that,"  said  the  uncle.  "  You  couldn't  possibly 
guess  it.  It  can't  come  out  till  all  the  small  birds 
are  tucked  into  their  nests  and  everything  is  still 
and  quiet." 

46 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

Mazli  ran  to  her  table  at  last  and  when  she 
found  a  perfect  array  of  shining  copper  kettles, 
cooking  pans  and  pots  in  her  box  she  forgot 
completely  about  the  horses.  She  dug  with 
growing  astonishment  into  her  box,  which  seemed 
to  be  filled  with  ever  new  and  more  marvellous 
objects.  Lippo  was  standing  up  his  beautifully 
saddled  horses  in  front  of  him,  but  the  thing  he 
liked  best  of  all  was  a  groom  in  a  red  jacket.  He 
put  him  first  on  one  horse  and  then  on  all  the 
others,  for,  to  the  boy's  great  delight,  he  fitted 
into  every  saddle.  He  sat  secure,  straight 
and  immovable  even  when  the  horses  trotted 
or  galloped. 

Uncle  Philip  was  less  able  to  stand  the  quiet 
which  was  reigning  after  the  presentation  of  his' 
gifts  than  were  the  children,  who  were  completely 
lost  in  the  new  marvels.  He  told  them  now 
that  he  was  ready  to  take  them  all  on  a  walk. 
Mazli  was  ready  before  anyone,  because  she  had 
thrown  everything  into  her  box  and  then  with  a 
little  pushing  had  been  able  to  put  on  the  lid. 
This  did  not  worry  her  further,  so  she  ran  towards 
the  uncle. 

"Mazli,  you  mustn't  do  that;  no,  you 
mustn't,"  Lippo  called  after  her.    But  the  little 

47 


MAZLI 

girl  stood  already  outside,  holding  her  uncle's 
hand  ready  for  the  march.  Everybody  else  was 
ready,  as  they  all  had  only  had  one  object  to  put 
away,  and  the  mother  gave  her  orders  to  Kathy, 
the  cook. 

"  Come,  Lippo,  don't  stay  behind!  "  the  uncle 
called  into  the  room. 

"  I  have  to  finish  first,  then  I'll  come  right 
away,"  the  little  boy  called  back. 

The  mother  was  ready  to  go,  too,  now. 
"  Where  is  Lippo? "  she  asked,  examining  her 
little  brood. 

"  He  sits  in  there  like  a  mole  in  his  hole  and 
won't  come  out,"  said  Kurt  "  Shall  I  fetch  him? 
He'll  come  quickly  enough  then." 

"  No,  no,"  the  mother  returned.  "  I'll  attend 
to  it."  Lippo  was  sitting  at  his  little  table,  laying 
one  horse  after  the  other  slowly  and  carefully  in 
the  box  so  that  they  should  not  be  damaged. 

"Come,  Lippo,  come!  We  must  not  let 
Uncle  Philip  wait,"  the  mother  said. 

"  But,  mother,  one  must  not  leave  before 
everything  is  straightened  up  and  put  into  the 
wardrobe,"  Lippo  said  timidly.  "  One  must 
always  pack  up  properly." 

48 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

"  That  is  true,  but  I  shall  help  you  to-day," 
said  the  mother,  and  with  her  assistance  every- 
thing was  soon  put  in  order. 

"  Oh,  here  comes  the  slow-poke  at  last,"  Kurt 
cried  out. 

"  No,  you  must  not  scold  him,  for  Lippo  did 
right  in  putting  his  things  in  order  before  taking 
a  walk,"  said  his  mother,  who  had  herself  given 
him  that  injunction. 

"  Bravo,  my  god-son!  I  taught  you  that,  but 
now  we  must  start,"  said  the  uncle,  extending  his 
hand  to  the  little  boy.    "  Where  shall  we  go?  " 

"  Up  to  the  castle,"  Kurt  quickly  suggested. 
Everybody  was  satisfied  with  the  plan  and  the 
Viother  assented  eagerly,  as  she  had  intended  the 
same  thing. 

"  We  shall  go  up  towards  the  castle  hill,"  the 
uncle  remarked  as  he  set  out  after  taking  the  two 
little  ones  by  the  hand.  "  We  shall  have  to  go 
around  the  castle,  won't  we?  If  cross  Mr.  Trius 
is  keeping  watch,  we  won't  get  very  close  to  it, 
because  the  property  is  fenced  in  for  a  long 
way  around." 

"  Oh,  we  can  go  up  on  the  road  to  the  en- 
trance," said  Kurt  with  animation.  "  We  can  look 
into  the  garden  from  there,  but  everything  is  over- 

4  49 


MAZLI 

grown.  On  the  right  is  a  wooden  fence  which  we 
can  easily  climb.  From  there  we  can  run  all  the 
way  up  through  the  meadows  to  a  thick  hawthorn 
hedge ;  on  the  other  side  of  that  begin  the  bushes 
and  behind  that  the  woods  with  the  old  fir  and 
pine  trees,  but  we  can't  climb  over  it.  We  could 
easily  enough  get  to  the  castle  from  the  woods." 

"  You  seem  to  have  a  very  minute  knowledge 
of  the  place,"  said  the  uncle.  "  What  does  Mr. 
Trius  say  to  the  climbing  of  hedges?  In  the 
meadows  there  are  beautiful  apple-trees  as  far  as 
I  remember." 

"  He  beats  everybody  he  can  catch,"  was 
Kurt's  information,  "  even  if  they  have  no  inten- 
tion of  taking  the  apples.  Whenever  he  sees  any- 
one in  the  neighborhood  of  the  hedge,  he  begins 
to  strike  out  at  them." 

"  His  intention  is  probably  to  show  everybody 
who  tries  to  nose  around  that  the  fences  are  not 
to  be  climbed.  Let  us  wait  for  your  mother,  who 
knows  all  the  little  ways.  She  will  tell  us 
where  to  go." 

Uncle  Philip  glanced  back  for  his  sister,  who 
had  remained  behind  with  Mea  and  Bruno.  While 
the  uncle  was  amusing  the  younger  ones,  the  two 
others  were  eagerly  talking  over  their  special 

50 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

problems  with  her,  so  that  they  got  ahead 
very  slowly. 

"  To  which  side  shall  we  go  now?  As  you 
know  the  way  so  well,  please  tell  us  where  to  go," 
said  the  uncle  when  the  three  had  approached. 

The  mother  replied  that  Uncle  Philip  knew 
the  paths  as  well  as  she,  if  not  even  better.  As 
long  as  the  decision  lay  with  her,  however,  she 
chose  the  height  to  the  left  from  which  there  was 
a  clear  view  of  the  castle. 

"  Then  we'll  pass  by  Apollonie's  cottage," 
said  Kurt.  "  I  am  glad!  Then  we  can  see  what 
Loneli  is  doing  after  yesterday's  trouble.  She 
is  the  nicest  child  in  school." 

"  Let  us  go  there,"  the  uncle  assented.  "  I 
shall  be  glad  to  see  my  old  friend  Apollonie  again! 
March  ahead  now!  " 

They  had  soon  reached  the  cottage  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  which  lay  bathed  in  brilliant  sunshine. 
Only  the  old  apple-tree  in  the  corner  threw  a 
shadow  over  the  wooden  bench  beneath  it  and 
over  a  part  of  the  little  garden.  Grandmother 
and  grandchild  were  sitting  on  the  bench  dressed 
in  their  Sunday-best  and  with  a  book  on  their 
knees.  A  delicious  perfume  of  rosemary  and 
mignonette  filled  the  air  from  the  little  flower- 

51 


MAZLI 

beds.  Uncle  Philip  looked  over  the  top  of  the 
hedge  into  the  garden. 

"  Real  Sunday  peace  is  resting  on  everything 
here.  Just  look,  Maxa!  "  he  called  out  to  his  sis- 
ter. "  Look  at  the  rose-bushes  and  the  mig- 
nonette !  How  pleasant  and  charming  Apollonie 
looks  in  her  spotless  cap  and  shining  apron 
with  the  apple-cheeked  child  beside  her  in  her 
pretty  dress  I " 

Loneli  had  just  noticed  her  best  friends  and, 
jumping  up  from  the  bench,  she  ran  to  them. 

Apollonie,  glancing  up,  now  recognized  the 
company,  too.  Radiant,  she  approached  and  in- 
vited them  to  step  into  her  garden  for  a  rest. 
She  was  already  opening  the  door  in  order  to 
fetch  out  enough  chairs  and  benches  to  seat  them 
all  when  Mrs.  Maxa  stopped  her.  She  told  Apol- 
lonie that  their  time  was  already  very  short,  as 
they  intended  to  climb  the  hill,  but  they  had  wished 
Jo  greet  her  on  their  way  up  and  to  see  her  well- 
ordered  garden. 

"  How  attractively  it  is  laid  out,  Mrs.  Apol- 
lonie! "  Uncle  Philip  exclaimed.  "  This  small 
space  is  as  lovely  as  the  large  castle-garden  used 
to  be.  Your  roses  and  mignonette,  the  cabbage, 
beans  and  beets,  the  little  fountain  in  the  corner 

52 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

are  so  charming!  Your  bench  under  the  apple- 
tree  looks  most  inviting." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Falcon,  you  are  still  as  fond  of 
joking  as  ever,"  Apollonie  returned.  "So  you 
think  that  my  rose-beds  are  as  fine  as  those  up 
there  used  to  be?  Indeed,  who  has  ever  seen  the 
like  of  them  or  of  my  wonderful  vegetable  garden 
in  the  castle-grounds  ?  There  has  never  been  such 
an  abundance  of  cauliflower  and  peas,  such  rows 
of  bean-poles,  such  salad-beds.  What  a  delight 
their  care  was  to  me.  Such  a  garden  will  never 
be  seen  again.  I  have  to  sigh  every  time  when  I 
think  that  anything  so  beautiful  should  be  for- 
ever lost." 

"But  that  can't  be  helped,"  Uncle  Philip  an- 
swered. "  There  is  one  great  advantage  you  have 
here.  Nobody  can  possibly  disturb  your  Sunday 
peace.  You  need  not  throw  up  your  hands  and 
exclaim :  '  Falcon  is  the  worst  of  all.'  " 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Falcon,  so  you  still  remember," 
Apollonie  exclaimed.  "  Yes,  I  must  admit  that 
the  three  young  gentlemen  have  trampled  down 
many  a  young  plant  of  mine.  Still  I  should  not 
mind  such  a  thing  if  I  only  had  the  care  of  the 
garden  back  again,  but  it  doesn't  even  exist  any 
more.      Mr.    Trius's   only  harvest   is   hay   and 

53 


MAZLI 

apples,  and  that  is  all  he  wants  apparently,  be- 
cause he  has  thrown  everything  else  out.  Please 
do  not  think  that  I  am  swimming  in  pure  peace 
here  because  no  boys  are  stamping  down  my  gar- 
den. Oh,  no!  It  is  very  difficult  to  read  my 
Sunday  psalm  in  peace  when  I  am  given  such  a 
bitter  soup  of  grief  to  swallow  as  I  got  yesterday. 
It  keeps  on  burning  me,  and  still  I  have  to 
swallow  it." 

"  You  probably  mean  the  Knippel-soup  from 
yesterday?  "  Kurt  interrupted,  full  of  livery  in- 
terest. Loneli  had  only  just  told  him  that  things 
had  gone  very  badly  the  day  before  when  she  had 
returned  home  all  soiled  from  her  fall  and  with 
the  empty  milk-bottle.  So  he  felt  more  indignant 
than  before  and  had  immediately  interpreted 
Apollonie's  hint.  "  I  want  to  tell  you,  Apollonie, 
that  it  was  not  Loneli's  fault  in  the  least.  Those 
rascals  enjoy  sticking  out  their  feet  and  seeing 
people  tumble  over  them." 

"  The  child  can't  possibly  have  behaved  prop- 
erly, Kurt,  or  the  district  attorney's  sons  would 
not  have  teased  her." 

"  I'll  fetch  Bruno  right  away  and  he'll  prove 
to  you  that  Loneli  did  nothing  whatever.  He 
saw  it,"  Kurt  cried  eagerly  with  the  intention  of 

,e4 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

fetching  his  brother,  who  had  already  started  up 
the  hill.  But  his  mother  detained  him.  It  was 
not  her  wish  to  fan  Bruno's  rage  afresh  by  the  dis- 
covery that  Loneli  had  been  considered  guilty. 
She  therefore  narrated  the  incident  to  Apollonie 
just  as  Bruno  had  reported  it. 

Loneli's  blue  eyes  glistened  with  joy  when  the 
story  was  told  according  to  the  truth.  She  knew 
that  the  words  spoken  by  the  rector's  widow  had 
great  weight  with  her  grandmother. 

"  Can  you  see  now  that  it  was  not  Loneli's 
fault? "  Kurt  cried  out  as  soon  as  his  mother 
had  finished. 

"  Yes,  I  see  it  and  I  am  happy  that  it  is  so," 
said  Apollonie.  "  How  could  one  have  suspected 
that  boys  who  had  a  good  education  should  want 
to  hurt  others  without  cause  ?  The  young  Falcon 
would  never  have  done  such  a  thing,  I  know  that. 
He  only  ran  into  the  vegetable  garden  because  his 
two  friends  were  chasing  him  from  both  sides." 

Uncle  Philip  laughed:  "  I  am  glad  you  are  so 
just  to  me,  Mrs.  Apollonie.  Even  when  you 
scolded  the  Falcon  properly  for  tramping  down 
your  plants,  you  knew  that  it  was  not  in  malicious- 
ness he  did  it  but  in  self-defence.  I  am  afraid  it  is 
time  to  go  now"  and  with  these  words  he  heartily 

55 


MAZLI 

shook  his  old  acquaintance  by  the  hand.  The 
two  little  ones,  who  had  never  left  his  side,  were 
ready  immediately  to  strike  out  once  more. 

They  soon  reached  the  hill  and  the  castle, 
which  was  bathed  in  the  soft  evening  light,  lay 
openly  before  them.  A  hushed  silence  reigned 
about  the  gray  building  and  the  old  pine  trees 
under  the  tower,  whose  branches  lay  trailing  on 
the  ground.  For  years  no  human  hand  had 
touched  them.  Where  the  blooming  garden  had 
been  wild  bushes  and  weeds  covered  the  ground. 

The  mother  and  uncle,  settling  down  on  a 
tree-trunk,  looked  in  silence  towards  the  castle, 
while  the  children  were  hunting  for  strawberries 
on  the  sunny  incline. 

"  How  terribly  deserted  and  lonely  it  all 
looks,"  Uncle  Philip  said  after  a  while.  "  Let  us 
go  back.  When  the  sun  is  gone,  it  will  get  more 
dreary  still. " 

"  Don't  you  notice  anything,  Philip  ?  "  asked 
his  sister,  taken  up  with  her  own  thoughts.  "  Can 
you  see  that  all  the  shutters  are  closed  except 
those  on  the  tower  balcony  ?  Don't  you  remember 
who  used  to  live  there?  " 

"  Certainly  I  do.  Mad  Bruno  used  to  live 
there,"  the  brother  answered. 

56 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

"  As  his  rooms  alone  seem  to  be  kept  in  order, 
he  might  come  back?  " 

"  Why,  he'll  never  come  back,"  Uncle  Philip 
exclaimed.  "  You  know  that  we  heard  ages  ago 
that  he  is  an  entirely  broken  man  and  that  he  lay 
deadly  sick  in  Malaga.  Mr.  Tillman,  who  went 
to  Spain,  must  certainly  know  about  it.  Restless 
Baron  Bruno  has  probably  found  his  last  resting- 
place  long  ago.  Why  should  you  look  for 
him  here? " 

"  I  only  think  that  in  that  case  a  new  owner 
of  the  place  would  have  turned  up  by  now,"  was 
his  sister's  opinion.  "  Two  young  members  of  the 
family,  the  children  of  Salo  and  Eleanor,  are  still 
alive.  I  wonder  where  these  children  are.  They 
would  be  the  sole  owners  after  their  uncle's  death." 

"  They  have  long  ago  been  disinherited,"  the 
brother  exclaimed.  "  I  do  not  know  where  they 
are,  but  I  have  an  idea  on  that  subject.  I  shall 
tell  you  about  it  to-night  when  we  are  alone.  Here 
you  are  so  absent-minded.  You  throw  worried 
looks  in  all  directions  as  if  you  were  afraid  that 
this  perfectly  solid  meadow  were  a  dangerous 
pond  into  which  your  little  brood  might  fall  and 
lose  their  lives." 

57 


MAZLI 

The  children  had  scattered  in  all  directions. 
Bruno  had  gone  far  to  one  side  and  was  deeply 
immersed  in  a  little  book  he  had  taken  with  him. 
Mea  had  discovered  the  most  beautiful  forget-me- 
nots  she  had  ever  seen  in  all  her  life,  which  grew 
in  large  masses  beside  the  gurgling  mountain- 
stream.  Beside  herself  with  transport,  she  flew 
from  place  to  place  where  the  small  blue  flowers 
sparkled,  for  she  wanted  to  pick  them  all. 

Kurt  had  climbed  a  tree  and  from  the  highest 
branch  he  could  reach  was  searchingly  studying 
the  castle,  as  if  something  special  was  to  be  dis- 
covered there.  Mazli,  having  discovered  some 
strawberries,  had  pulled  Lippo  along  with  her. 
She  wanted  him  to  pick  those  she  had  found  while 
she  hunted  for  more  in  the  meantime.  The  mother 
was  very  busy  keeping  an  eye  on  them  all.  Kurt 
might  become  too  daring  in  his  climbing  feats. 
Mazli  might  run  away  too  far  and  Lippo  might 
put  his  strawberries  into  his  trousers-pocket  as 
he  had  done  once  already,  and  cause  great  harm 
to  his  little  Sunday  suit. 

"  You  fuss  and  worry  too  much  about  the  chil- 
dren," Uncle  Philip  said.  "  Just  let  the  children 
simply  grow,  saying  to  them  once  in  a  while,  '  If 
you  don't  behave,  you'll  be  locked  up.'  " 

58 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

"  Yes,  that  certainly  sounds  simple,"  said  his 
sister.  "  It  is  a  pity  you  have  no  brood  of  your 
own  to  bring  up,  Philip,  as  lively  as  mine,  and 
each  child  entirely  different  from  the  others,  so 
that  one  has  to  be  urged  to  a  thing  that  another 
has  to  be  kept  from.  I  get  the  cares  without  look- 
ing for  them.  A  new  great  worry  has  come  to  me 
to-day,  which  even  you  won't  be  able  to  just 
push  aside." 

Mrs.  Maxa  told  her  brother  now  about  the 
morning's  interview  with  the  wife  of  the  district 
attorney.  She  told  him  of  the  problem  she  had 
with  Bruno's  further  education,  because  the  les- 
sons he  had  been  having  from  the  Rector  would 
end  in  the  fall,  and  of  her  firm  intention  of  keep- 
ing him  from  living  together  with  his  two  present 
comrades.  The  three  had  never  yet  come  to- 
gether without  bringing  as  a  result  some  mean 
deed  on  one  side  and  an  explosion  of  rage  on 
the  other. 

"  Don't  you  think,  Philip,  that  it  will  be  a 
great  care  for  me  to  think  that  the  three  are  living 
under  one  roof?  Don't  you  think  so  yourself ?  " 
Mrs.  Maxa  concluded. 

"  Oh,  Maxa,  that  is  an  old  story.    There  have 
59 


MAZLI 

been  boys  at  all  times  who  fought  together  and 
then  made  peace  again." 

"  Philip,  that  does  not  console  me,"  the  sister 
answered.  "  That  has  never  been  Bruno's  way 
at  all.  He  never  fights  that  way.  But  it  is  hard 
to  tell  what  he  might  do  in  a  fit  of  anger  at  some 
injustice  or  meanness,  and  that  is  what  frightens 
me  so." 

"  His  godfather  of  the  same  name  has  prob- 
ably passed  that  on  to  him.  Nobody  more  than 
you,  Maxa,  has  always  tried  to  wash  him  clean 
and  excuse  him  for  all  his  deeds  of  anger.  In 
your  indestructible  admiration.  .  .  ." 

Uncle  Philip  got  no  further,  as  all  the  children 
now  came  running  toward  them.  The  two  little 
ones  both  tried  hard  to  put  the  biggest  straw- 
berries they  had  found  into  the  mouths  of  their 
mother  and  uncle.  Mea  could  not  hold  her  mag- 
nificent bunch  of  forget-me-nots  near  enough  to 
their  eyes  to  be  admired.  The  two  older  boys  had 
approached,  too,  as  they  had  an  announcement 
to  make.  The  sun  had  gone  down  behind  the 
mountain,  so  they  had  remembered  that  it  was 
time  to  go  home. 

Mother  and  uncle  rose  from  their  seats  and 
the  whole  group  started  down  the  mountain-side. 

60 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

The  two  little  ones  were  gaily  trotting  beside  the 
uncle,  bursting  into  wild  shouting  now  and  then, 
for  he  made  such  leaps  that  they  flew  high  into 
the  air  sometimes.  He  held  them  so  firmly,  how- 
ever, that  they  always  reached  the  ground  safely. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  house  Kurt  had  a  bril- 
liant idea.  "  Oh,  mother,"  he  called  out  excitedly 
over  the  prospect,  "  to-night  we  must  have  the 
story  of  the  Wallerstatten  family.  It  will  fit  so 
well  because  we  were  able  to  see  the  castle  to-day, 
with  all  its  gables,  embrasures  and  battlements." 

But  the  mother  answered:  "  I  am  sorry  to  say 
we  can't.  Uncle  is  here  to-day,  and  as  he  has 
to  leave  early  to-morrow  morning,  I  have  to  talk 
to  him  to-night.  You  have  to  go  to  bed  early, 
otherwise  you  will  be  too  tired  to  get  up  to- 
morrow after  your  long  walk." 

"  Oh,  what  a  shame,  what  a  shame! "  Kurt 
lamented.  He  was  still  hoping  that  he  would 
find  out  something  in  the  story  about  the  ghost  of 
Wildenstein,  despite  the  fact  that  one  could  not 
really  believe  in  him.  Sitting  on  the  tree  that 
afternoon,  he  had  been  lost  in  speculations  as  to 
where  the  ghost  might  have  appeared. 

When  the  mother  went  to  Mazli's  bed  that 
night  to  say  prayers  with  her  she  found  her  still 

61 


MAZLI 

very  much  excited,  as  usual,  by  the  happenings 
of  the  day.  She  always  found  it  difficult  to  quiet 
the  little  girl,  but  to-day  she  seemed  filled  by  very 
vivid  impressions.  Now  that  everything  was  still, 
they  seemed  to  come  back  to  her. 

Mazli  sat  straight  up  in  her  bed  with  shining 
eyes  as  soon  as  her  mother  appeared.  "  Why  was 
the  Knippel-soup  allowed  to  spoil  Apollonie's 
Sunday  peace?  "  she  cried  out. 

"  Where  have  you  heard  that,  Mazli? "  the 
mother  said,  quite  frightened.  She  already  saw 
the  moment  before  her  when  Mazli  would  tell  the 
district  attorney's  wife  that  new  appellation. 
"  You  must  never  use  that  expression  any  more, 
Mazli.  You  see,  nobody  would  be  able  to  know 
what  you  mean.  Kurt  invented  it  apparently 
when  Apollonie  spoke  about  having  so  much  to 
swallow.  He  should  not  have  said  it.  Do  you 
understand,  Mazli,  that  you  must  not  say  it 
any  more? " 

"  Yes,  but  why  is  anyone  allowed  to  spoil 
Apollonie's  Sunday  peace?  "  Mazli  persevered. 
Apollonie  was  her  special  friend,  whom  she 
wanted  to  keep  from  harm. 

"No  one  should  do  it,  Mazli,"  the  mother 
62 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

replied.  It  is  wrong  to  spoil  anybody's  Sunday 
peace  and  no  one  should  do  it." 

"  But  our  good  God  should  quickly  call  down, 

*  Don't  do  it,  don't  do  it ! '  Then  they  would  know 
that  they  were  not  allowed,"  was  Mazli's  opinion. 

"  He  does  it,  Mazli!  He  does  it  every  time 
anybody  does  wrong,"  said  the  mother,  "  for  the 
evil-doer  always  hears  such  a  voice  that  calls  out 
to  him : '  Don't  do  it,  don't  do  it ! '  But  sometimes 
he  does  it  in  spite  of  the  voice.  Even  young  chil- 
dren like  you,  Mazli,  hear  the  voice  when  they 
feel  like  doing  wrong,  and  they  do  wrong  just 
the  same." 

"  I  only  wonder  why  God  does  not  punish 
them  right  away;  He  ought  to  do  that,"  Mazli 
eagerly  replied. 

"  But  He  does,"  said  the  mother.  As  soon 
as  anybody  has  done  wrong,  he  feels  a  great 
weight  on  his  heart  so  that  he  keeps  on  thinking, 

•  I  wish  I  hadn't  done  it ! '  Then  our  good  God 
is  good  and  merciful  to  him  and  does  not  punish 
him  further.  He  gives  him  plenty  of  time  to 
come  to  Him  and  tell  Him  how  sorry  he  is  to 
have  done  wrong.  God  gives  him  the  chance  to 
beg  His  pardon.  But  if  he  does  not  do  that,  he  is 
sure  to  be  punished  so  that  he  will  do  more  and 

63 


MAZLI 

more  evil  and  become  more  terribly  unhappy  all 
the  time." 

"  I'll  look  out,  too,  now  if  I  can  hear  the 
voice,"  was  Mazli's  resolution. 

"  The  chief  thing  is  to  follow  the  voice,  Mazli," 
said  the  mother.  But  we  must  be  quiet  now. 
Say  your  prayers,  darling,  then  you  will  soon  go 
to  sleep." 

Mazli  said  her  little  prayer  very  devoutly. 
As  there  was  nothing  more  to  trouble  her,  she  lay 
down  and  was  half  asleep  as  soon  as  her  mother 
tfosed  the  door  behind  her. 

She  was  still  expected  at  four  other  little  beds. 
Every  one  of  the  children  had  a  problem  to  bring 
to  her,  but  there  was  so  little  time  left  to-day 
that  they  had  to  be  put  off  till  to-morrow.  In  fact, 
they  were  all  glad  to  make  a  little  sacrifice  for 
their  beloved  uncle.  When  she  came  back  into 
the  room,  she  found  him  hurrying  impatiently 
up  and  down.  He  could  hardly  wait  to  make  his 
sister  the  announcement  to  which  he  had  already 
referred  several  times. 

"  Are  you  coming  at  last?  "  he  called  to  her. 
"  Are  you  not  a  bit  curious  what  present  I  have 
brought  you? " 

64 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

"  Oh,  Philip,  I  am  sure  it  can  only  be  a  joke," 
Mrs.  Maxa  replied.  "  I  should  love  to  know  what 
you  meant  when  you  spoke  of  the  children 
of  Waller  statten." 

"  It  happens  to  be  one  and  the  same  thing," 
the  brother  replied.  "  Come  here  now  and  sit 
down  beside  me  and  get  your  mending-basket 
right  away  so  that  you  won't  have  to  jump  up 
again.  I  know  you.  You  will  probably  run  off 
two  or  three  times  to  the  children." 

"  No,  Philip,  to-day  is  Sunday  and  I  won't 
mend.  The  children  are  all  sleeping  peacefully, 
so  please  tell  me  about  it." 

Uncle  Philip  sat  down  quietly  beside  his  sis- 
ter and  began:  "  As  surely  as  I  am  now  sitting 
here  beside  you,  Maxa,  so  surely  young  Leonore 
of  Wallerstatten  was  sitting  beside  me  three  days 
ago.  I  am  reaiiy  as  sure  as  anything  that  it  was 
Leonore's  child.  She  is  only  an  hour's  distance 
away  from  you  and  is  probably  going  to  stay  in 
this  neighborhood  for  a  few  weeks.  I  wanted  to 
bring  you  this  news  as  a  present." 

Mrs.  Maxa  first  could  not  say  a  word  from 
astonishment. 

"Are  you  quite  sure,  Philip?"  she  asked, 
wishing  for  an  affirmation.     "  How  could  you 

5  65 


MAZLI 

become  so  sure  that  the  child  you  saw  was 
Leonore's  little  daughter?  " 

"  First  of  all,  because  nobody  who  has  known 
Leonore  can  ever  forget  what  she  looked  like. 
The  child  is  exactly  like  her  and  looks  at  one  just 
the  way  Leonore  used  to  do.  Secondly,  the  child's 
name  was  Leonore,  too.  Thirdly,  she  had  the 
same  brown  curls  rippling  down  her  shoulders 
that  her  mother  had,  and  she  spoke  with  a  voice 
as  soft  and  charming.  For  the  fifth  and  sixth 
reasons,  because  only  Leonore  could  have  such 
a  child,  for  there  could  not  be  two  people  like  her 
in  the  whole  world."  Uncle  Philip  had  grown 
very  warm  during  these  ardent  proofs. 

"  Please  tell  me  exactly  where  and  how  you 
saw  the  child,"  the  sister  urged. 

So  the  brother  related  how  he  had  come  back 
three  days  ago  from  a  trip  and,  arriving  in  town, 
had  given  orders  in  the  hotel  for  a  carriage  to  be 
brought  round  to  take  him  back  to  Sils  that  same 
evening.  The  host  had  then  informed  him  that 
two  ladies  had  just  ordered  a  carriage  to  take 
them  to  the  same  destination.  He  thought  that 
as  long  as  they  had  seemed  to  be  strangers  and 
were  anxious  to  know  more  about  the  road,  they 
would  be  very  glad  to  have  a  companion  who  was 

66 


DIVERS  WORRIES 

going  the  same  way.  So  the  host  had  made  all 
necessary  arrangements,  as  there  were  no  objec- 
tions to  the  plan  on  either  side.  When  the  car- 
riage had  driven  up,  he  had  seen  that  the  ladies 
had  with  them  a  little  daughter  who  was  to  occupy 
the  back-seat  of  the  carriage. 

"  This  daughter,  as  I  thought,  was  Leonore's 
child.  I  am  as  certain  of  that  as  of  my  relation 
with  you,"  the  brother  concluded. 

Mrs.  Maxa  was  filled  with  great  excitement. 

Could  one  of  the  children  for  whom  she  had 
vainly  longed  and  inquired  for  such  long  years  be 
really  so  near  her?  Would  she  be  able  to  see 
her?   Who  were  the  ladies  to  whom  she  belonged? 

To  all  her  various  questions  the  brother  could 
only  answer  that  the  ladies  with  whom  Leonore 
was  living  came  from  the  neighborhood  of  Han- 
nover. They  had  taken  a  little  villa  in  Sils  on 
the  mountain,  which  they  had  seen  advertised  for 
the  summer  months.  He  had  shown  the  ladies  his 
estate  in  Sils  and  had  offered  to  serve  them  in 
whatever  way  they  wished.  Then  they  had 
taken  leave. 

Leonore's  name  had  wakened  so  many  happy 
memories  of  her  beautiful  childhood  and  youth 
in  Mrs.  Maxa  that  she  began  to  revive  those  times 

67 


MAZLI 

with  her  brother  and  tirelessly  talked  of  the  days 
they  had  spent  there  together  with  her  unforget- 
table friend  Leonore  and  her  two  cousins.  The 
brother  seemed  just  as  ready  to  indulge  in  those 
delightful  memories  as  she  was,  and  whenever 
she  ceased,  he  began  again  to  talk  of  all  the  un- 
usual happenings  and  exploits  that  had  taken 
place  with  their  dear  friends. 

"  Do  you  know,  Maxa,  I  think  we  had  much 
better  playmates  than  your  children  have,"  he 
said  finally.  "If  Bruno  beats  his  comrades,  I 
like  it  better  than  if  he  acted  as  they  do." 

Brother  and  sister  had  not  talked  so  far  into 
the  night  for  a  long  time.  Nevertheless,  Mrs. 
Maxa  could  not  get  to  sleep  for  hours  afterwards. 
Leonore's  image  with  the  long,  brown  curls  and 
the  winning  expression  in  her  eyes  woke  her  lively 
desire  to  see  the  child  that  resembled  her  so  much. 


68 


CHAPTER  III 
CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

WHEN  Mazli  and  Lippo  were  neatly 
washed  and  dressed  the  next  morning, 
they  came  downstairs  to  the  living- 
room  chattering  in  the  most  lively  manner. 
Mazli  was  just  telling  Lippo  her  plans  for  the 
afternoon  when  he  should  be  back  from  school. 
The  mother,  after  attending  to  some  task,  fol- 
lowed the  children,  who  were  standing  around 
the  piano. 

As  soon  as  she  entered,  Kurt  broke  out  into  a 
frightened  cry.  "  Oh,  mother,  we  have  forgotten 
all  about  the  poor  people  whose  houses  burnt 
down  and  we  were  supposed  to  take  the  things 
with  us  this  morning." 

"  Yes,  the  teacher  told  us  twice  that  we  must 
not  forget  it,"  Lippo  complained,  "  but  I  didn't 
forget  it." 

"  Don't  worry,  children,  I  have  attended  to 
it,"  said  the  mother.  "  Kathy  has  just  gone  to 
the  school  with  a  basket  full  of  things.  It  was 
too  heavy  for  you  to  carry." 

69 


MAZLI 

"  Oh,  how  nice  and  convenient  it  is  to  have  a 
mother,"  Kurt  said  quite  relieved. 

The  mother  sat  down  at  the  piano. 

"  Come,  let  us  sing  our  morning  song,  now," 
she  said.  "  We  can't  wait  for  uncle,  because  he 
might  come  back  too  late  from  his  walk."  Open- 
ing the  book,  she  began  to  sing  "  The  golden  sun 
— with  joy  and  fun." 

The  children  taking  up  the  melody  sang  it 
briskly,  for  they  knew  it  well.  Mazli  was  sing- 
ing full  of  zeal,  too,  and  wherever  she  had  for- 
gotten the  words,  she  did  not  stop,  but  made  up 
some  of  her  own. 

Two  stanzas  had  been  sung  when  Kurt  said, 
"  We  must  stop  now  or  it  will  get  too  late.  After 
breakfast  it  is  time  to  go  to  school." 

The  mother,  assenting,  rose  and  went  to  the 
table  to  fill  their  cups. 

But  Lippo  broke  into  a  loud  wail.  Pulling 
his  mother  back,  he  cried,  "Don't  go!  Please 
don't !  We  must  finish  it.  We  have  to  finish  it. 
Come  back,  mother,  come  back." 

She  tried  to  loosen  the  grip  of  the  boy's  firm 
little  fingers  on  her  dress  and  to  calm  him,  but  she 
did  not  succeed,  and  he  kept  on  crying  louder 
and  louder:  "  Come  back !    You  said  one  must  not 

70 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

leave  anything  half  done.     We  didn't  finish  the 
song  and  we  must  do  it." 

Kurt  now  began  to  cry  out,  too :  "  Let  go  your 
pincher-claws — we'll  get  to  school  late." 

Mea's  voice  joined  them  with  loud  exclama- 
tion against  Lippo,  who  was  trying  hard  to  pull 
his  mother  back,  groaning  loudly  all  the  time. 

Uncle  Philip  entered  at  this  moment. 

"  What  on  earth  is  going  on  here?  "  he  cried 
loudly  into  the  confusion. 

Everybody  began  to  explain. 

Lippo  let  go  his  grip  at  last  and,  approaching 
his  uncle,  solicited  his  help.  Kurt's  voice,  how- 
ever, was  the  loudest  and  he  got  the  lead  in  telling 
about  Lippo's  obstinacy. 

"  Lippo  is  right,"  the  uncle  decided.  "  One 
must  finish  what  one  has  begun.  This  is  a 
splendid  principle  and  ought  to  be  followed. 
Lippo  has  inherited  this  from  his  god-father  and 
so  he  shall  also  have  his  help.  Come  Lippo,  we'll 
sit  down  and  finish  the  song  to  the  last  word." 

"  But,  Uncle  Philip,  the  song  has  twelve 
stanzas,  and  we  have  to  go  to  school.  Lippo  must 
go,  too,"  Kurt  cried  out  in  great  agitation.  "  He 
can't  get  an  excuse  for  saying  that  he  had  to 
finish  his  morning  song." 

71 


MAZLI 

"  That  is  true,  Kurt  is  right,"  said  the  uncle. 
"  You  see,  Lippo,  I  know  a  way  out.  When  you 
sing  to-night,  mother  must  promise  me  to  finish 
the  song.    Then  you  will  have  sung  it  to  the  end." 

"  We  can't  do  that,"  Lippo  wailed.  "  This  is 
a  morning  song  and  we  can't  sing  it  at  night.  We 
must  finish  it  now.  Wait,  Kurt  I"  he  cried 
aloud,  when  he  saw  that  the  boy  was  taking  up 
his  school-bag. 

"  What  can  we  do?  Where  is  your  mother? 
Why  does  she  run  away  at  such  a  moment?'' 
Uncle  Philip  cried  out  helplessly.  "  Call  for 
your  mother!    You  mustn't  go  on  like  that." 

Lippo  had  run  back  to  the  piano  and,  leaning 
against  it,  was  crying  bitterly.  Kurt,  after  open- 
ing the  door,  called  loudly  for  his  mother  in  a  voice 
that  was  meant  to  bring  her  from  a  distance.  This 
exertion  proved  unnecessary,  as  she  was  standing 
immediately  behind  the  door.  Bruno,  in  order  to 
question  her  about  something,  had  drawn  her  out 
with  him. 

"  Oh,  mother,  come  in!  "  Kurt  cried  in  milder 
accents.  "  Come  and  teach  our  two-legged  law- 
paragraph  here  to  get  some  sense.  School  is  go- 
ing to  start  in  five  minutes." 

The  mother  entered. 
72 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

"  Maxa,  where  did  you  go? "  the  brother 
accosted  her.  "  It  is  high  time  to  get  this  boy 
straightened  out.  Just  look  at  the  way  he  is 
clutching  the  piano  in  his  trouble.  He  ought  to 
be  off.    Kurt  is  right." 

The  mother,  sitting  down  on  the  piano-stool, 
took  the  little  boy's  hand  and  pulled  him  to- 
wards her. 

"  Come,  Lippo,  there  is  nothing  to  cry  about," 
she  said  calmly.  "  Listen  while  I  explain  this. 
It  is  a  splendid  thing  to  finish  anything  one  has 
begun,  but  there  are  things  that  cannot  be  finished 
all  at  once.  Then  one  divides  these  things  into 
separate  parts  and  finishes  part  first  with  the 
resolution  to  do  another  part  the  next  day,  and 
so  on  till  it  is  done.  We  shall  say  now  our  song 
has  twelve  stanzas  and  we'll  sing  two  of  them 
every  morning ;  in  that  way  we  can  finish  it  on  the 
sixth  day  and  we  have  not  left  it  unfinished  at 
all.  Can  you  understand,  Lippo?  Are  you 
quiet  now?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  little  boy,  looking  up  to  his 
mother  with  an  expression  of  perfect  satisfaction. 

The  leave-taking  from  the  uncle  had  to  be  cut 
extremely  short.    "  Come  soon  again,"  sounded 

73 


MAZLI 

three  times  more  from  the  steps,  and  then  the 
children  started  off. 

The  mother,  looking  through  the  window,  fol- 
lowed them  with  her  eyes.  She  was  afraid  that 
Kurt  and  Mea  would  leave  the  little  one  far  be- 
hind on  account  of  having  been  kept  too  long 
already,  and  it  happened  as  she  feared.  She  saw 
Lippo  trudging  on  behind  with  an  extraordi- 
narily full  school-bag  on  his  back. 

"  Can  you  see  what  Lippo  is  carrying?  "  she 
asked  her  brother. 

The  lid  of  the  bag  was  thrust  open  and  a  thick 
unwieldy  object  which  did  not  fit  into  it 
was  protruding. 

"  What  is  he  carrying  along,  I  wonder?  Car* 
you  see  what  it  is  ?  " 

"  I  can  only  see  a  round  object  wrapped  up  in 
a  gray  paper,"  her  brother  replied.  "  I  am  sure 
it  must  be  something  harmless.  I  have  to  say 
that  Lippo  is  a  wonderfully  obedient  and  good 
boy  and  full  of  the  best  sense.  As  soon  as  one 
says  the  right  word  to  him,  he  comes  'round.  Why 
did  you  wait  so  long  though,  Maxa,  before  saying 
it  to  him?  "  was  Uncle  Philip's  rather  reproachful 
question.  "  Why  did  you  run  away  and  leave 
him  crying  and  moaning?    He  needed  your  help. 

74 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

What  he  wanted  was  perfectly  correct  but  was 
not  just  suitable  at  that  moment,  and  he 
needed  an  explanation.  How  could  you  calmly 
run  away? " 

"  It  was  just  as  necessary  to  hear  Bruno's 
question,"  the  sister  said.  "  I  knew  that  Lippo 
was  in  good  hands.  I  thought  naturally  that  you 
would  be  able  to  say  the  right  word  to  him.  You 
know  yourself  how  he  respects  you." 

"  Oh,  yes,  that  is  right,"  Uncle  Philip  ad- 
mitted. "  It  is  not  always  easy  to  say  the  right 
word  to  a  little  fellow  who  has  the  right  on  his  side 
and  needs  to  have  the  other  side  shown  to  him, 
too ;  he  is  terribly  pedantic  besides,  and  says  that 
one  can't  sing  a  morning  song  in  the  evening, 
and  when  he  began  to  wail  in  his  helplessness,  it 
made  me  miserable.  How  should  one  always 
just  be  able  to  say  the  right  word?  " 

His  sister  smiled. 

"  Do  you  admit  now,  Philip,  that  bringing  up 
children  is  not  a  very  simple  matter  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  truth  in  what  you  say.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  does  not  look  very  terrible,  either," 
the  brother  said  with  a  glance  at  Mazli,  who  was 
quietly  and  peacefully  sitting  at  the  table,  eating 
her  bread  and  milk  in  the  most  orderly  fashion. 

75 


MAZLI 

She  had  been  compelled  to  stop  in  the  middle 
of  breakfast  by  the  excitement  caused  by  Lippo. 
It  had  been  very  thrilling,  but  now  she  could 
calmly  finish. 

Uncle  Philip  suddenly  discovered  that  the 
time  set  for  his  departure  was  already  past.  Tak- 
ing a  rapid  leave  of  his  sister,  he  started  to  rush 
off,  but  she  held  him  for  a  moment. 

"  Please,  Philip,  try  to  find  out  for  me  about 
the  little  girl,  to  whom  she  belongs,  and  with 
whom  she  is  travelling,"  she  begged  him  eagerly. 
"Please  do  that  for  me!  If  your  supposition, 
that  she  is  Leonore's  child  is  right,  I  simply  must 
see  her.  Nobody  can  prevent  me  from  seeing  her 
once  at  least." 

"  We'll  see,  we'll  see,"  the  brother  answered 
hurriedly,  and  was  gone  the  next  moment. 

The  day  had  started  with  so  much  agitation 
and  it  had  all  taken  so  much  time  that  Mrs.  Maxa 
had  her  hands  full  now  in  order  to  complete  the 
most  necessary  tasks  before  the  children  came 
back  from  school. 

Mazli  was  very  obedient  to-day  and  had  set- 
tled down  on  her  little  chair.  She  was  virtuously 
knitting  on  a  white  rag,  which  was  to  receive  a 
bright  red   border   and  was   destined   to   dust 

7fi 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

Uncle  Philip's  desk.  It  was  to  be  presented  to 
him  on  his  next  birthday  as  a  great  surprise. 
Mazli  had  in  her  head  this  and  many  other 
thoughts  caused  by  the  morning's  scene,  so  she 
did  not  feel  the  same  inclination  to  set  out  on  trips 
of  discovery  as  usual,  and  remained  quietly  sit- 
ting on  her  chair.  Her  mother  was  extremely 
preoccupied,  as  could  easily  be  seen.  Her 
thoughts  had  nothing  to  do  with  either  the  laundry 
or  the  orders  she  was  giving  to  Kathy,  nor  the 
cooking  apples  she  had  sorted  out  in  the  cellar. 
Her  hand  often  lay  immovably  on  these,  while  she 
absently  looked  in  front  of  her.  Her  thoughtr 
were  up  in  the  castle-garden  with  the  lovely  young 
Leonore,  and  in  her  imagination  she  was  wander- 
ing about  with  her  beloved  friend,  singing  and 
chattering  under  the  sounding  pine  trees. 

Her  brother's  news  had  wakened  all  these 
memories  very  vividly.  Then  again  she  would 
sigh  deeply  and  another  communication  filled  her 
full  of  anxiety.  Bruno  had  asked  her  not  to  wait 
for  him  at  dinner,  as  he  had  resolved  to  stop  his 
comrades  from  a  wicked  design  and  therefore 
would  surely  be  a  trifle  late*  What  this  was 
and  what  action  he  meant  to  prevent  the  boy  had 
not  had  time  to  say,  for  Kurt  had  opened  the  door 

77 


MAZLI 

at  that  moment  calling  for  her  with  his  voice  of 
thunder.  All  she  had  been  able  to  do  was  to  beg 
Bruno,  whatever  happened,  not  to  let  his  anger 
become  his  master.  Sooner  than  the  mother  had 
expected  Kurt's  steps  could  be  heard  hurriedly 
running  into  the  house  followed  by  a  loud  call 
for  her. 

"  Here  I  am,  Kurt,"  sounded  calmly  from  the 
living-room,  where  his  mother  had  finally  settled 
down  after  her  tasks,  beside  Mazli's  chair.  "  Come 
in  first  before  you  try  to  make  your  announce- 
ments; or  is  it  so  dreadfully  urgent?  " 

Kurt  had  already  reached  his  mother's  side. 

"  Oh,  mother,  when  I  come  home  from  school 
I'm  never  sure  if  you  are  in  the  top  or  the  bottom 
of  the  house,"  he  said,  "  so  I  have  to  inquire  in 
plenty  of  time,  especially  when  there  is  so  much 
to  tell  you  as  there  is  to-day.  Now  listen.  First 
of  all,  the  teacher  thanks  you  for  the  presents  for 
the  poor  people.  He  lets  you  know  that  if  you 
think  it  suitable  to  send  them  a  helmet  of  card- 
board with  a  red  plume,  he  will  put  it  by  for  the 
present.  Or  did  you  have  a  special  intention 
with  it?" 

"I  do  not  understand  a  word  of  what  you 
say,  Kurt,"  the  mother  replied. 

78 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

That  moment  Lippo  opened  the  door.  He  was 
apt  to  come  home  after  the  older  boy,  for  Kurt 
was  not  obliged  to  wait  for  him  after  school. 

"  Here  comes  the  one  who  will  be  able  to 
explain  the  precious  gift  you  sent,  mother," 
said  Kurt. 

Lippo,  trotting  cheerfully  into  the  room,  had 
bright  red  cheeks  from  his  walk.  The  mother 
began  by  asking,  "  Tell  me,  Lippo,  did  you 
take  something  to  school  this  morning  in  your 
school-bag  for  the  poor  people  whose  houses 
were  burnt? " 

"  Yes,  mother,  my  helmet  from  Uncle  Philip," 
Lippo  answered. 

"  I  see !  You  thought  that  if  a  poor  little  chap 
had  no  shirt,  he  would  be  glad  to  get  a  fine  helmet 
with  a  plume  for  his  head,"  Kurt  said  laughing. 

"You  don't  need  to  laugh!"  Lippo  said,  a 
little  hurt.  "  Mother  told  us  that  we  must  not 
only  send  things  we  don't  want  any  more.  So  I 
gave  the  helmet  away  and  I  should  have  loved 
to  keep  it." 

"  Don't  laugh  at  him,  Kurt ;  I  really  told  him 
that,"  the  mother  affirmed.  "  He  wanted  to  do 
right  but  he  did  not  quite  find  the  right  way  of 
doing  it.     If  you  had  told  me  your  intention, 

79 


MAZLI 

Lippo,  I  could  have  helped  you  to  do  some  posi- 
tive good.  Next  time  you  want  to  help,  tell  me 
about  it,  and  we'll  do  it  together." 

"  Yes,  I  will,"  Lippo  said,  quite  appeased. 

"  Oh,  mother,  listen!  "  Kurt  was  continuing. 
"  I  have  to  tell  you  something  you  won't  like  and 
we  don't  like  either.  Just  think!  Loneli  had 
to  sit  on  the  shame-bench  to-day.  But  all  the 
class  is  on  Loneli's  side." 

"But  why,  Kurt?  The  poor  child!"  the 
mother  exclaimed.  "What  did  she  do?  I  am 
afraid  that  her  honest  old  grandmother  will  take 
it  terribly  to  heart.  She'll  be  in  deep  sorrow 
about  it  and  will  probably  punish  Loneli  again." 

"  No,  indeed,  she  must  not  do  that,"  Kurt  said 
eagerly.  "  The  teacher  said  himself  that  he  hated 
to  put  Loneli  there,  as  she  was  a  good  and  obe- 
dient child,  but  that  he  had  to  keep  his  word.  He 
had  announced  that  he  was  tired  of  the  constant 
chattering  going  on  in  the  school.  To  stop  it  he 
had  threatened  to  put  the  first  child  on  the  shame- 
bench  that  was  caught.  So  poor  Loneli  had  to 
sit  there  all  by  herself  and  she  cried  so  terribly 
that  we  all  felt  sorry.  But  of  course,  mother,  a 
person  doesn't  talk  alone,  and  Loneli  should  not 
have    been   obliged   to   stay   there   alone.     The 

80 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

teacher  had  just  asked:  "Who  is  talking  over 
there?  I  can  hear  some  whispering.  Who  is  it? ' 
Loneli  answered  '  I '  in  a  low  voice,  so  she  had  to 
be  punished.  One  of  her  neighbors  should  have 
said  *  I,'  too,  of  course ;  it  was  perfectly  evident 
that  there  was  another  one." 

"  Loneli  might  have  asked  somebody  a  ques- 
tion which  was  not  answered,"  his  mother 
suggested. 

"  Mea  will  know  all  about  it,  for  she  followed 
Loneli  after  school.  Now  more  still,  mother," 
Kurt  continued.  "  Two  boys  from  my  class  were 
beaten  this  morning  by  Mr.  Trius.  Early  this 
morning  they  had  climbed  over  the  castle  hedge 
to  inspect  the  apples  on  the  other  side  of  the  hedge. 
But  Mr.  Trius  was  already  about  and  stood  sud- 
denly before  them  with  his  heavy  stick.  In  a 
jiffy  they  had  a  real  Trius-beating,  for  the  hedge 
is  high  and  firm  and  one  can't  get  across  it  quickly. 
Now  for  my  fourth  piece  of  news.  Farmer  Max 
who  lives  behind  the  castle  has  told  everybody 
that  when  his  father  came  back  late  yesterday 
night  from  the  cattle-fair  in  the  valley,  he  saw  a 
large  coach,  which  was  right  behind  his  own,  drive 
into  the  castle-garden.  He  was  quite  certain 
that  it  went  there,  but  nobody  seems  to  know  who 

6  81 


MAZLI 

was  in  it.  So  you  are  really  listening  at  last, 
mother!  I  noticed  that  you  have  been  absent- 
minded  till  now.  Farmer  Max  told  us  something 
else  about  his  father  that  you  wouldn't  like  me 
to  repeat,  I  know." 

"  You  would  not  say  so  if  it  were  not  wrong; 
you  had  better  not  repeat  it,  Kurt,"  said 
the  mother. 

"  No,  indeed,  it  is  not  bad,  but  very  strange. 
I  can  tell  you  though,  because  I  don't  believe  it 
myself.  Max  told  that  his  father  said  there  was 
something  wrong  about  the  coach  and  that  he 
went  far  out  of  its  way.  The  coachman  looked  as 
if  he  only  had  half  a  head,  and  his  coat-collar  was 
rolled  up  terribly  high  in  order  to  hide  what  was 
below.  He  was  wildly  beating  the  horses  so  that 
they  fairly  flew  up  the  castle-hill,  while  sparks  of 
fire  were  flying  from  their  hoofs." 

"  How  can  you  tell  such  rubbish,  Kurt  ?  How 
should  there  be  something  unnatural  in  such  a 
sight?  "  the  mother  scolded  him.  "  I  am  sure  you 
think  that  the  Wildenstein  ghost  is  wandering 
about  again.  You  can  see  every  day  that  horses' 
hoofs  give  out  sparks  when  they  strike  stone,  and 
to  see  a  coachman  with  a  rolled  up  collar  in  windy 
weather  is  not  an  unusual  sight  either.    In  spite 

82 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

of  all  I  say  to  you,  Kurt,  you  seem  to  do  noth- 
ing but  occupy  yourself  with  this  matter.  Can't 
you  let  the  foolish  people  talk  without  repeating 
it  all  the  time?  " 

Kurt  was  very  glad  when  Mea  entered  at 
that  moment,  for  he  had  really  disobeyed  his 
mother's  repeated  instructions  in  the  matter.  But 
he  comforted  himself  with  the  thought  that  he 
was  only  acting  according  to  her  ideas  if  he  was 
finally  able  to  prove  to  the  people  that  the  whole 
thing  was  a  pure  invention  and  could  get  rid  of 
the  whole  thing  for  good. 

"  Why  are  your  eyes  all  swollen?  "  he  accosted 
his  sister. 

Mea  exploded  now.  Half  angry  and  half 
complaining,  she  still  had  to  fight  against  her 
tears.  "  Oh,  mother,  if  you  only  knew  how  diffi- 
cult it  is  to  stay  friends  with  Elvira.  Whenever 
I  do  anything  to  offend  her,  she  sulks  and  won't 
have  anything  to  do  with  me  for  days.  When  I 
want  to  tell  her  something  and  run  towards  her, 
speaking  a  little  hurriedly,  she  is  hurt.  Then 
she  always  says  I  spoil  the  flowers  on  her  hat  be- 
cause I  shake  them.  And  then  she  turns  her 
back  on  me  and  won't  even  speak  to  me." 

"  Indeed!    I  have  seen  that  long  ago,"  Kurt 


MAZLI 

broke  in,  "  and  I  began  a  song  about  her  yester- 
day. It  ought  to  be  sung  to  her.  I'll  recite  it 
to  you: 

A  SONG  ABOUT  A  WELL  KNOWN  YOUNG  LADY. 

I  know  a  maiden  fair  of  face, 

Who  mostly  turns  her  back. 
All  noise  she  thinks  a  great  disgrace, 

But  tricks  she  does  not  lack. 

"  No,  Kurt,  you  mustn't  go  on  with  that 
song,"  Mea  cried  with  indignation. 

"  Mea  is  right  when  she  doesn't  want  you  to 
celebrate  her  friends  in  that  way,  Kurt,"  said  the 
mother,  "  and  if  she  asks  you  to,  you  must 
leave  off." 

"  But  I  am  her  brother  and  I  do  not  wish 
to  see  my  sister  being  tyranized  over  and  treated 
badly  by  a  friend.  I  certainly  wouldn't  call  her 
a  real  friend,"  Kurt  eagerly  exclaimed.  "  I 
should  be  only  too  glad  if  my  song  made  her  so 
angry  that  she  would  break  the  friendship  en- 
tirely.   There  would  be  nothing  to  mourn  over." 

Mea,  however,  fought  passionately  for  her 
friend  and  never  gave  way  till  Kurt  had  promised 
not  to  go  on  with  his  ditty.  But  her  mother 
wanted  to  know  now  what  had  given  Mea  such 

84 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

red  eyes.  So  she  told  them  that  she  had  followed 
Loneli  in  order  to  comfort  her,  for  she  was  still 
crying.  Loneli  had  told  her  then  about  being 
caught  at  chattering.  Elvira,  who  was  Loneli's 
neighbor,  had  asked  her  if  she  would  be  allowed 
to  go  to  Sils  on  dedication  day,  next  Sunday,  and 
Loneli  had  answered  no.  Then  Elvira  wanted 
to  know  why  not,  to  which  Loneli  had  promised 
to  give  her  an  answer  after  school,  as  they  were 
not  allowed  to  talk  in  school.  That  moment  the 
teacher  had  questioned  them  and  Loneli  had 
promptly  accused  herself. 

"  Don't  you  think,  mother,  that  Elvira  should 
have  admitted  that  she  asked  Loneli  a  question? 
Then  Loneli  would  not  have  had  to  sit  on  the 
shame-bench  alone.  He  might  have  given  them 
both  a  different  punishment,"  Mea  said,  quite 
wrought  up. 

"  Oho !  Now  she  sent  Loneli  to  the  shame- 
bench  besides,  and  Loneli  is  a  friend  of  mine! " 
Kurt  threw  in.  "  Now  she'll  get  more  verses 
after  all." 

"  Elvira  should  certainly  have  done  so/'  the 
mother  affirmed. 

"  Yes,  and  listen  what  happened  afterwards," 
Mea  continued  with  more  ardor  than  before.  "  I 

85 


MAZLI 

ran  from  Loneli  to  Elvira,  but  I  was  still  able  to 
hear  poor  Loneli' s  sobs,  for  she  was  awfully  afraid 
to  go  home.  She  knew  that  she  had  to  tell  her 
grandmother  about  it  and  she  was  sure  that  that 
would  bring  her  a  terrible  punishment.  When 
I  met  Elvira,  I  told  her  that  it  was  unfair  of  her 
not  to  accuse  herself  and  to  let  Loneli  bear  the 
punishment  alone.  That  made  her  fearfully 
angry.  She  said  that  I  was  a  pleasant  friend 
indeed,  if  I  wished  this  punishment  and  shame 
upon  her.  She  should  not  have  said  that,  mother, 
should  she?  I  told  her  that  the  matter  was  easy 
enough  for  her  as  it  was  all  settled  for  her,  but 
not  for  Loneli.  I  asked  to  tell  the  teacher  Kow 
it  all  happened,  so  that  he  could  say  something 
in  school  and  let  the  children  know  what  answer 
Loneli  had  given  her.  Then  ht  would  see  that 
she  was  innocent.  But  Elvira  only  grew  angrier 
still  and  told  me  that  she  would  look  for  another 
friend,  if  I  chose  to  preach  to  her.  She  said  that 
she  didn't  want  to  have  anything  to  do  with  me 
from  now  on  and,  turning  about,  ran  away." 

"  So  much  the  better ! "  Kurt  cried  out.  "  Now 
you  won't  have  to  run  humbly  after  Elvira  any 
more,  as  if  you  were  always  in  the  wrong,  the  way 
you  usually  do  to  win  her  precious  favor." 

86 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

"  Why  shouldn't  Mea  meet  her  friend  kindly 
again  if  she  wants  to,  Kurt? "  said  the  mother. 
"  Elvira  knows  well  enough  who  has  been 
offended  this  time  and  has  broken  off  the  friend- 
ship. She  will  be  only  too  glad  when  Mea  meets 
her  half-way." 

Kurt  was  beginning  another  protest,  but  it 
was  not  heard.  Lippo  and  Mazli  arrived  at  that 
moment,  loudly  announcing  the  important  news 
that  Kathy  was  going  to  serve  the  soup  in  a  mo- 
ment and  that  the  table  was  not  even  set. 

The  mother  had  put  off  preparations  for  din- 
ner on  purpose.  During  the  foregoing  conver- 
sation she  had  repeatedly  glanced  towards  the 
little  garden  gate  to  see  if  Bruno  was  not  coming, 
but  he  could  not  be  seen  yet.  So  she  began  to 
set  the  table  with  Mea,  while  Lippo,  too,  assisted 
her.  The  little  boy  knew  exactly  where  every- 
thing belonged.  He  put  it  there  in  the  most 
orderly  fashion,  and  when  Mea  put  a  fork  or 
spoon  down  quickly  a  little  crookedly,  he  straight- 
way put  them  perfectly  straight  the  way 
they  belonged. 

Kurt  laughed  out  loud,  "  Oh,  Lippo,  you  must 
become  an  inn-keeper,  then  all  your  tables  will 

87 


MAZLI 

look  as  if  they  had  been  measured  out  with 
a  compass." 

"  Leave  Lippo  alone,"  said  the  mother.  "  I 
wish  you  would  all  do  your  little  tasks  as  carefully 
as  he  does." 

Dinner  was  over  and  the  mother  was  looking 
out  towards  the  road  in  greater  anxiety,  but 
Bruno  had  not  come. 

"  Now  he  comes  with  a  big  whip,"  Kurt 
shouted  suddenly.  "  Something  must  have  hap- 
pened, for  one  does  not  usually  need  a  whip 
in  school." 

The  younger  boy  opened  the  door,  full  of 
expectation.  Bruno  could  not  help  noticing  his 
mother's  frightened  expression,  despite  the  rage 
he  was  in,  which  plainly  showed  in  his  face. 

He  exclaimed,  as  he  entered,  "I'll  tell  you 
right  away  what  happened,  mother,  so  that  you 
won't  think  it  was  still  worse.  I  have  only 
whipped  them  both  as  they  deserved,  that  is  all." 

"  But,  Bruno,  that  is  bad  enough.  You  seem 
to  get  more  savage  all  the  time,"  the  mother 
lamented.    "  How  could  you  do  such  a  thing?  " 

"  I'll  explain  it  right  away  and  then  you  will 
have  to  admit  that  it  was  the  only  thing  to  do," 
Bruno  assured  her.    "  The  two  told  me  last  Satur- 

88 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

day  that  they  had  a  scheme  far  to-day  in  which 
I  was  to  join.  They  had  discovered  that  the 
lovely  plums  in  the  Rector's  garden  were  ripe 
and  they  meant  to  steal  them.  When  the  Rector 
is  through  with  his  lessons  at  twelve  o'clock  he 
always  goes  to  the  front  room  and  then  nobody 
knew  what  is  going  on  in  the  garden.  Their  plan 
was  to  use  this  time  to-day  in  order  to  shake  the 
tree  and  fill  their  pockets  full  of  plums.  I  was  to 
help  them.  I  told  them  what  a  disgrace  it  was 
for  them  to  ask  me  and  I  said  that  I  would  find 
means  to  prevent  it.  So  they  noisily  called  me 
a  traitor  and  told  me  that  accusing  them  was 
worse  than  stealing  plums.  I  said  that  it  wasn't 
my  intention  to  tell  on  them,  but  I  would  come 
and  use  my  whip  as  soon  as  they  touched  the  tree. 
So  they  laughed  and  sneered  at  me  and  said 
that  they  were  neither  afraid  of  me  nor  of  my 
whip.  As  soon  as  our  lessons  were  done  at  twelve 
o'clock,  they  ran  to  the  garden  and,  getting  the 
whip  I  had  hidden  in  the  hallway,  I  ran  after 
them.  Edwin  was  already  half  way  up  the  tree 
and  Eugene  was  just  beginning  to  climb  it.  First 
I  only  threatened  and  tried  in  that  way  to  force 
Edwin  down  and  keep  Eugene  from  going  fur- 
ther.   But  they  kept  on  sneering  at  me  till  Edwin 

89 


MAZLI 

had  reached  the  first  branch  and  was  shaking  it 
so  hard  that  the  lovely  plums  came  spattering 
to  the  ground.  I  got  so  furious  at  that  that  I 
began  to  beat  first  the  boy  higher  up  and  then  the 
lower  one.  First,  Edwin  tumbled  down  on  top 
of  Eugene  and  then  they  both  ran  away  moaning, 
while  I  kept  on  striking  them.  They  left  the 
plums  on  the  ground  and  I  followed  them." 

"It  is  terrible,  Bruno,  that  such  scenes  have 
to  come  up  between  you  all  the  time,"  the  mother 
lamented.  "  You  are  always  the  one  who  gets 
wild  and  loses  control.  It  is  hard  to  excuse  that, 
even  if  your  intention  is  good,  Bruno.  I  wish  I 
could  keep  you  boys  apart." 

"  It  was  a  good  thing  he  became  furious  at 
them  to-day,  mother,"  Kurt  remarked.  "  You 
see  it  shows  that  even  two  can't  get  the  better  of 
him.  If  he  had  not  been  so  mad,  the  two  would 
have  been  stronger,  and  our  poor  Rector  would 
have  lost  his  plums." 

It  was  hard  to  tell  if  this  explanation  com- 
forted the  mother.  She  had  gone  out  with  a  sign 
to  attend  to  Bruno's  belated  lunch.  The  time  was 
already  near  at  hand  when  all  the  children  had 
to  get  back  to  school. 

When  that  same  evening  the  little  ones  were 
90 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

happily  playing  and  the  big  children  were  busy 
with  their  school  work,  Kurt  stole  up  to  his 
mother's  chair  and  asked  her  in  a  low  voice, 
"  Shall  we  have  the  story  to-day?  " 

The  mother  nodded.  "  As  soon  as  the  little 
ones  are  in  bed."  At  this  Mazli  pricked  up 
her  ears. 

When  all  the  work  was  done  in  the  evening, 
all  the  family  usually  played  a  game  together. 
Kurt,  who  was  usually  the  first  to  pack  up  his 
papers,  was  still  scribbling  away  after  Mea  had 
laid  hers  away.  Looking  over  his  shoulder  into 
the  note-book,  she  exclaimed,  "  He  is  writing 
some  verses  again!  Who  is  the  subject  of  your 
song,  Kurt? " 

"I'll  read  it  to  you,  then  you  can  guess 
yourself,"  said  the  boy.  "  The  first  verse  is 
already  written  somewhere  else.  Now  listen  to 
the  second." 

She  stares  about  with  stately  mien: 

"  O  ho,  just  look  at  me ! 
If  I  am  not  acknowledged  queen, 

I  surely  ought  to  be." 

Her  friend  agrees  with  patient  air 

And  fastens  up  her  shoes. 
Then  queenie  thinks:  That's  only  fair, 

She  couldn't  well  refuse. 

91 


MAZLI 

But  if  the  friend  should  try  to  show 

The  queen  her  faults,  look  out! 
She'd  break  the  friendship  at  a  blow 

And  straightway  turn  about. 

Mea  had  been  obliged  to  laugh  a  little  at  first 
at  the  description  of  the  humble  behaviour  which 
did  not  seem  to  describe  her  very  well.  Finally, 
however,  sad  memroies  rose  up  in  her. 

"  Do  you  know,  mother,"  she  cried  out  ex- 
citedly, "it  is  not  the  worst  that  she  shows  me 
her  back,  but  that  one  can't  ever  agree  with  her. 
Every  time  I  find  anything  pleasant  and  good, 
she  says  the  opposite,  and  when  I  say  that  some- 
thing is  wrong  and  horrid,  she  won't  be  of  my 
opinion  either.  It  is  so  hard  to  keep  her  friend- 
ship because  we  always  seem  to  quarrel  when  I 
haven't  the  slightest  desire  to." 

"  Just  let  her  go.  She  is  the  same  as  her 
brothers,"  said  Bruno.  "  I  never  want  their 
friendship  again,  and  I  wish  I  might  never  have 
anything  more  to  do  with  them." 

"  It  is  better  to  give  them  things,  the  way  you 
did  to-day,"  Kurt  remarked. 

"  I  can  understand  Mea,"  said  the  mother. 
"  As  soon  as  we  came  here  she  tried  to  get  Elvira's 

92 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

friendship.  She  longs  for  friendship  more  than 
you  do." 

"  Oh,  mother,  I  have  six  or  eight  friends  here, 
that  is  not  so  bad,"  Kurt  declared. 

"  I  couldn't  say  much  for  any  of  them," 
Bruno  said  quickly. 

"  It  must  hurt  Mea,"  the  mother  continued, 
"  that  Elvira  does  not  seem  to  be  capable  of 
friendship.  You  only  act  right  in  telling  her 
what  you  consider  wrong,  Mea.  If  you  show 
your  attachment  to  her  and  try  not  to  be  hurt 
by  little  differences  of  opinion,  your  friendship 
might  gradually  improve." 

As  Lippo  and  Mazli  felt  that  the  time  for 
the  general  game  had  come,  they  came  up  to  their 
mother  to  declare  their  wish.  Soon  everybody 
was  merrily  playing. 

It  happened  to-day,  as  it  did  every  day,  that 
the  clock  pointed  much  too  soon  to  the  time  which 
meant  the  inexorable  end  of  playing.  This 
usually  happened  when  everybody  was  most 
eager  and  everything  else  was  forgotten  for  the 
moment.  As  soon  as  the  clock  struck,  playing 
was  discontinued,  the  evening  song  was  simg  and 
then  followed  the  disappearance  of  the  two  little 
ones.     While  the  older  children  put  away  the 

93 


MAZLI 

toys,  the  mother  went  to  the  piano  to  choose  the 
song  they  were  to  sing. 

Mazli  had  quickly  run  after  her.  "  Oh,  please, 
mama,  can  I  choose  the  song  to-day? "  she 
asked  eagerly. 

"  Certainly,  tell  me  which  song  you  would 
like  to  sing  best." 

Mazli  seized  the  song-book  effectively. 

"  But,  Mazli,  you  can't  even  read,"  said  the 
mother.  "  How  would  the  book  help  you?  Tell 
me  how  the  song  begins,  or  what  lines  you  know." 

"  I'll  find  it  right  away,"  Mazli  asserted. 
"  Just  let  me  hunt  a  little  bit."  With  this  she 
began  to  hunt  with  such  zeal  as  if  she  were  seek- 
ing a  long-lost  treasure. 

"  Here,  here,"  she  cried  out  very  soon,  while 
she  handed  the  book  proudly  over  to  her  mother. 

The  latter  took  the  book  and  read: 

"  Patience  Oh  Lord,  is  needed, 
When  sorrow,  grief  and  pain" — 

"  But,  Mazli,  why  do  you  want  to  sing  this 
song?  "  her  mother  asked. 

Kurt  had  stepped  up  to  them  and  looked  over 
the  mother's  shoulder  into  the  book.  "  Oh,  you 
sly  little  person!    So  you  chose  the  longest  song 

94 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

you  could  find.  You  thought  that  Lippo  would 
see  to  it  that  we  would  sing  every  syllable  before 
going  to  bed." 

"  Yes,  and  you  hate  to  go  to  bed  much  more 
than  I  do,"  said  Mazli  a  little  revengefully.  It 
had  filled  her  with  wrath  that  her  beautiful  plan 
had  been  seen  through  so  quickly.  "  When  you 
have  to  go,  you  always  sigh  as  loud  as  yesterday 
and  cry : '  Oh,  what  a  shame !  Oh,  what  a  shame ! ' 
and  you  think  it  is  fearful." 

"  Quite  right,  cunning  little  Mazli,"  Kurt 
laughed. 

"  Come,  come,  children,,  now  we'll  sing  instead 
of  quarrelling,"  the  mother  admonished  them. 
"  We'll  sing  '  The  lovely  moon  is  risen.'  You 
know  all  the  words  of  that  from  beginning  to 
end,  Mazli." 

They  all  started  and  finished  the  whole  song 
in  peace. 

When  the  mother  came  back  later  on  from  the 
beds  of  the  two  younger  children,  the  three  elder 
ones  sat  expectantly  around  the  table,  for  Kurt 
had  told  them  of  their  mother's  promise  to  tell 
them  the  story  of  the  family  of  Wallerstatten 
that  evening.  They  had  already  placed  their 
mother's  knitting-basket  on  the  table  in  prepara- 

95 


MAZLI 

tion  of  what  was  to  come,  because  they  knew  that 
she  would  not  tell  them  a  story  without  knitting 
at  the  same  time. 

Smilingly  the  mother  approached.  "  Every- 
thing is  ready,  I  see,  so  I  can  begin  right  away." 

"  Yes,  and  right  from  the  start,  please ;  from 
the  place  where  the  ghost  first  comes  in." 

The  mother  looked  questioningly  at  Kurt. 
"  It  seems  to  me,  Kurt,  that  you  still  hope  to  find 
out  about  this  ghost,  whatever  I  may  say  to  the 
contrary.  I  shall  tell  you,  though,  how  people 
first  began  to  talk  about  a  ghost  in  Wildenstein. 
The  origin  of  these  rumors  goes  back  many, 
many  years." 

"  There  is  a  picture  in  the  castle,"  the  mother 
began  to  relate,  "  which  I  often  looked  at  as  a 
child  and  which  made  a  deep  impression  upon  me. 
It  represents  a  pilgrim  who  wanders  restlessly 
about  far  countries,  despite  his  snow-white  hair, 
which  is  blowing  about  his  head,  and  despite  his 
looking  old  and  weather-beaten.  It  is  supposed 
to  be  the  picture  of  the  ancestor  of  the  family  of 
Waller statten.  The  family  name  is  thought  to 
have  been  different  at  that  time. 

"  This  ancestor  is  said  to  have  been  a  man 
extremely  susceptible  to  violent  outbreaks.    In 

96 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

his  passion  he  was  supposed  to  have  committed 
many  evil  deeds,  on  account  of  which  his  poor  wife 
could  not  console  herself.  Praying  for  him,  she 
lay  whole  days  on  her  knees  in  the  chapel.  She 
died  suddenly,  however,  and  this  shocked  the 
baron  so  mightily  that  he  could  not  remain  in  the 
castle.  In  order  to  find  peace  for  his  restless  soul 
he  became  a  repentant  pilgrim.  So  he  took  the 
emblem  of  a  pilgrim  into  his  coat  of  arms  and 
called  himself  Wallerstatten.  Leaving  his  estate 
and  his  sons,  he  nevermore  returned. 

"  Later  on  two  of  his  descendants  lived  in  the 
castle.  Both  were  well  loved  and  respected,  be- 
cause they  did  a  great  deal  to  have  the  land  culti- 
vated for  a  long  distance  around  and  as  a  result 
all  the  farmers  became  rich.  But  both  had  in- 
herited the  violent  temper  of  their  ancestor,  and 
the  truth  is  that  there  always  were  members  in  the 
family  with  that  fatal  characteristic.  Nobody 
knew  what  happened  between  the  brothers,  but 
one  morning  one  of  them  was  found  dead  on  the 
floor  of  the  big  fencing-hall.  All  that  the  castle- 
guard  knew  about  it  was  that  his  two  masters  had 
settled  a  dispute  with  a  duel.  The  other  brother 
had  immediately  disappeared,  but  was  brought 
back  dead  to  the  castle  a  few  days  afterwards. 

3  97 


MAZLI 

Climbing  up  a  high  mountain,  he  had  fallen 
down  a  precipice  and  had  been  found  dead. 
These  events  threw  all  the  neighborhood  into 
great  consternation. 

"  That  is  when  the  rumors  first  spread  that 
the  restless  spirit  of  the  brother  murderer  was 
seen  wandering  about  the  castle.  All  this  hap- 
pened many  years  before  my  father  and  your 
grandfather  moved  into  Nolla  as  Rector.  The 
rumor  had  somewhat  faded  then  and  all  that  we 
children  heard  about  it  was  that  my  father  was 
very  positive  in  denying  all  such  reports  that 
reached  his  ears.  Your  grandfather  was  the 
closest  friend  of  the  master1  of  Wallerstatten, 
whom  everybody  called  the  Baron.  I  can  only 
remember  seeing  him  once  for  a  moment,  but  he 
made  an  unusual  impression  upon  me.  I  remem- 
ber him  very  vividly  as  a  very  tall  man  going 
with  rapid  steps  through  the  courtyard  and 
mounting  a  horse,  which  was  trying  to  rear.  He 
died  before  I  was  five  years  old,  and  I  have  often 
heard  my  father  say  to  my  mother  that  it  was  a 
great  misfortune  for  the  two  sons  to  have  lost 
their  father.  I  felt  so  sorry  for  them  that  I 
would  often  stop  in  the  middle  of  play  to  ask 
her,  '  Oh,  mother,  can  nobody  help  them? '    To 

98 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

comfort  me  she  would  tell  me  that  God  alone 
could  help.  For  a  long  time  I  prayed  every  night 
before  going  to  sleep :  '  Dear  God,  please  help 
them  in  their  trouble ! '  Both  were  always  very 
kind  and  friendly  with  me.  I  was  up  at  the 
castle  a  great  deal,  because  the  Baroness  Maxi- 
miliana  of  Wallerstatten  was  my  godmother.  My 
father  instructed  the  two  sons  and  acted  as  helper 
and  adviser  to  the  Baroness  in  many  things.  He 
went  up  to  her  every  morning,  holding  me  by  one 
hand  and  Philip  by  the  other.  My  brother  had 
lessons  together  with  the  boys,  who  were  one  year 
apart  in  age,  while  Philip  was  just  between  them. 
Bruno,  the  elder " 

"  I  was  named  after  him,  motner,  wasn't  1  ?  " 
Bruno  interrupted  here. 

"  Salo  was  a  year  younger " 


"  I  was  called  after  him,"  Mea  said  quickly. 
"  You  wanted  a  Salo  so  much  and,  as  I  was  a  girl, 
you  called  me  Malomea,  didn't  you?  " 

The  mother  nodded. 

"  And  I  was  called  after  father,"  Kurt  cried 
out,  in  order  to  prove  that  his  name  also  had  a 
worthy  origin. 

"  I  went  up  to  the  castle  because  my  god- 
mother wished  it.    She  would  have  loved  to  have 

99 


MAZLI 

a  little  daughter  herself,  therefore  she  occupied 
herself  with  me  as  if  I  belonged  to  her.  She 
taught  me  to  embroider  and  to  do  other  fine  hand- 
work. Whenever  she  went  with  me  into  the  gar- 
den and  through  the  estate,  she  taught  me  all 
about  the  trees  and  flowers.  I  was  often  allowed 
to  pick  the  violets  that  grew  in  great  abundance 
beneath  the  hedges  and  in  the  grass  at  the  border 
of  the  little  woods.  Oh,  what  beautiful  days  those 
were!  Soon  they  were  to  become  more  perfect 
still  for  us. 

"  But  I  received  an  impression  in  those  days 
which  remained  in  my  heart  for  a  long  while  like 
a  menacing  power,  often  frightening  me  so  that 
I  was  very  unhappy.  Once  my  father  came  down 
very  silently  from  the  castle.  When  my  mother 
asked  him  if  anything  had  happened  he  replied, 
and  I  still  hear  his  words  '  Young  Bruno  has 
inherited  his  ancestor's  dreadful  passion.  His 
mother  is  naturally  more  worried  about  this  than 
about  anything  else.'  " 

"  Look  at  him,"  Kurt  said  dryly,  glancing  at 
Bruno,  who  was  sitting  beside  his  mother.  For 
answer  Bruno's  eyes  flashed  threateningly  at 
his  brother. 

"  Oh,  please  go  on,  mother,"  Mea  urged.  She 
100 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

was  in  no  mood  to  have  the  tale  interrupted  by 
a  fight  between  her  brothers. 

"  It  seemed  terrible  to  me,"  the  mother  con- 
tinued again,  "that "Bruno,  my  generous,  kind 
friend,  should  have  anything  in  his  character  to 
worry  his  mother.  Often  I  cried  quietly  in  a 
corner  about  it  and  wondered  how  such  a  thing 
could  be.  I  had  to  admit  it  myself,  however. 
Whenever  the  three  boys  had  a  disagreement  or 
anybody  did  something  to  displease  Bruno,  he 
would  get  quite  beside  himself  with  rage,  acting  in 
a  way  which  he  must  have  been  sorry  for  later  on. 
I  have  to  repeat  again,  though,  that  he  had  at 
bottom  a  noble  and  generous  nature  and  would 
never  have  willingly  harmed  anyone  or  committed 
a  cruel  deed.  But  one  could  see  that  his  out- 
breaks of  passion  might  drive  him  to  des- 
perate deeds. 

"  Salo,  his  brother,  never  became  angry,  but 
he  had  a  very  unyielding  nature  just  the  same. 
He  was  just  as  obstinate  in  his  way  as  his  brother, 
and  never  gave  in.  Philip  was  always  on  his 
side,  for  the  two  were  the  best  of  friends.  Bruno 
was  much  more  reserved  and  taciturn  than  Salo, 
who  was  naturally  very  gay  and  could  sing  and 
laugh  so  that  the  halls  would  re-echo  loudly  with 

101 


MAZLI 

his  merriment.  The  Baroness  herself  often 
laughed  in  that  way,  too.  That  is  why  Bruno 
imagined  that  she  loved  her  younger  son  better 
than  him,  and  because  he  himself  loved  his  mother 
passionately,  he  could  not  endure  this  thought. 
It  was  not  true,  however.  She  loved  his  eldest 
boy  passionately  and  everybody  who  was  close 
to  her  could  see  it. 

'  When  I  was  ten  years  old  and  Philip  fifteen, 
an  unusually  charming  girl  was  added  to  our  lit- 
tle circle.  I  above  everybody  else  was  enchanted 
with  her.  Our  friends  at  the  castle  and  even 
Philip,  who  certainly  was  not  easily  filled  with 
enthusiasm,  were  extremely  enthusiastic  about 
our  new  playmate.  She  was  a  girl  of  eleven  years 
old,  you  see  just  a  year  older  than  I  was.  She 
was  far,  far  above  me,  though,  in  knowledge, 
ability,  and  especially  in  her  manners  and  whole 
behaviour,  so  that  I  was  perfectly  carried  away 
by  her  charm. 

"  Her  name  was  Leonore.  She  was  related 
to  the  baroness  and  had  come  down  from  the 
far  north,  in  fact  from  Holstein,  where  my  god- 
mother came  from  and  all  her  connections  lived. 
Leonore,  the  daughter  of  one  of  her  relations, 
had  very  early  lost  her  father  and  mother,  as  her 

102 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

mother  had  died  soon  after  the  Baroness  decided 
to  adopt  the  child.  She  knew  that  Leonore  would 
otherwise  be  all  alone  in  the  world,  and  she  hoped 
that  a  gentle  sister  would  have  an  extremely  bene- 
ficial influence  on  the  two  self-willed  brothers. 
Now  a  time  began  for  me  which  was  more  wonder- 
ful than  anything  I  could  ever  have  imagined. 
Leonore  was  to  continue  her  studies,  of  course, 
and  take  up  new  ones.  For  that  purpose  a  very 
refined  German  lady  came  to  the  castle  very  soon 
after  Leonore's  arrival.  Only  years  afterwards 
I  realized  what  a  splendid  teacher  she  had  been. 

"  My  godmother  had  arranged  for  me  to 
share  the  studies  with  Leonore,  and  therefore  I 
was  to  live  all  day  at  the  castle  as  her  compan- 
ion, only  returning  in  the  evenings.  So  we  two 
girls  spent  all  our  time  together,  and  in  bad 
weather  I  also  remained  there  for  the  night. 
Leonore  had  a  tremendous  influence  on  me,  and 
I  am  glad  to  say  an  influence  for  ipv  good,  for  I 
was  able  to  look  up  to  her  in  everything.  What- 
ever was  common  or  low  was  absolutely  foreign 
to  her  noble  nature.  This  close  companionship 
with  her  was  not  only  the  greatest  enjoyment  of 
my  young  years,  but  was  the  greatest  of  benefits 
for  my  whole  life." 

10s 


MAZLI 

"  You  certainly  were  lucky,  mother,"  Mea 
exclaimed  passionately. 

"  Yes,  and  Uncle  Philip  was  lucky,  too,  to 
have  two  such  nice  friends,"  Bruno  added. 

"  I  realize  that,"  the  mother  answered.  "  You 
have  no  idea,  children,  how  often  I  have  wished 
that  you,  too,  could  have  such  friends." 

"  Please  go  on,"  Kurt  begged  impatiently. 
"  Where  did  they  go,  mother?  Doesn't  anyone 
know  what  has  become  of  them?  " 

"  Whenever  our  brothers,  as  we  called  them, 
were  free,"  the  mother  continued,  "  they  were  our 
beloved  playmates.  We  valued  their  stimulating 
company  very  much  and  were  always  happy  when 
through  some  chance  they  were  exempt  from 
some  of  their  numerous  lessons.  They  always 
asked  us  to  join  them  in  their  games  and  we  were 
very  happy  that  they  wanted  our  company. 
Baroness  von  Waller statten  had  guessed  right. 
Since  Leonore  had  come  into  our  midst,  the 
brothers  fought  much  more  seldom,  and  every- 
body who  knew  Bruno  well  could  see  that  he  tried 
to  suppress  his  outbursts  of  rage  in  her  presence. 
Once  Leonore  had  become  pale  with  fright  when 
she  had  been  obliged  to  witness  such  a  scene,  and 
Bruno  had  not  forgotten  it.     Four  years  had 

104 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

passed  for  us  in  cloudless  sunshine  when  a  great 
change  took  place.  The  young  barons  left  the 
castle  in  order  to  attend  a  university  in  Germany, 
and  Philip  also  left  for  an  agricultural  school. 
So  we  only  saw  the  brothers  once  a  year,  during 
their  brief  holidays  in  the  summer.  Those  days 
were  great  feast  days  then  for  all  of  us,  and  we 
enjoyed  every  single  hour  of  their  stay  from  early 
morning  till  late  at  night.  We  always  began  and 
ended  every  day  with  music,  and  frequently  whole 
days  were  spent  in  the  enjoyment  of  it. 

"  Both  young  Wallerstattens  were  extremely 
musical  and  had  splendid  voices,  and  Leonore's 
exquisite  singing  stirred  everybody  deeply.  The 
Baroness  always  said  that  Leonore's  voice 
brought  the  tears  to  her  eyes,  no  matter  if  she 
sang  merry  or  serious  songs.  It  affected  me  in 
that  way,  too,  and  one  could  never  grow  weary  of 
hearing  her.  I  had  just  finished  my  seventeenth 
and  Leonore  her  eighteenth  year  when  a  summer 
came  which  was  to  bring  grave  changes.  We  did 
not  expect  Philip  home  for  the  holidays.  Through 
the  Baroness'  help  he  was  already  filling  the  post 
of  manager  of  an  estate  in  the  far  north.  The 
young  barons  had  also  completed  their  studies 
and  were  expected  to  come  home  and  to  consult 

105 


MAZLI 

with  their  mother  about  their  plans  for  the  future. 
She  fully  expected  them  to  travel  before  settling 
down,  and  after  that  she  hoped  sincerely  that  one 
of  them  would  come  to  live  at  home  with  her ;  this 
would  mean  that  he  would  take  the  care  of  the 
estate  on  his  shoulders  with  its  troubles  and  re- 
sponsibilities. Soon  after  their  arrival  the  sons 
seemed  to  have  had  an  interview  with  their  mother 
which  clearly  worried  her,  for  she  went  about 
silently,  refusing  to  answer  any  questions.  Bruno 
strode  up  and  down  the  terrace  with  flaming  eyes 
whole  hours  at  a  time,  without  saying  a  word. 
Salo  was  the  only  sociable  one  left,  and  sometimes 
he  would  come  and  sit  down  beside  us ;  but  if  we 
questioned  him  about  their  apparent  feud,  he  re- 
mained silent.  How  different  this  was  from  our 
former  gay  days !  But  this  painful  situation  did 
not  last  long.  On  the  fifth  or  sixth  day  after  their 
arrival  the  brothers  did  not  appear  for  breakfast. 
The  Baroness  immediately  inquired  in  great 
anxiety  if  they  had  left  the  castle,  but  nobody 
seemed  to  have  noticed  them.  Apollonie  was  the 
only  one  who  had  seen  them  going  upstairs  to- 
gether in  the  early  morning,  so  she  was  sent  up 
to  look  for  them  in  the  tower  rooms.  When  she 
found  them  empty,  she  opened  the  door  of  the 

106 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

old  fencing-hall  by  some  strange  impulse.  Here 
Salo  was  crouching  half  fainting  on  the  floor.  He 
told  her  that  it  was  nothing  to  worry  about,  and 
that  he  had  only  lost  consciousness  for  a  moment. 
She  had  to  help  him  to  get  up,  however,  and  he 
came  downstairs  supported  on  her  arm.  The 
Baroness  never  said  a  word.  She  stayed  in  her 
son's  chamber  till  the  physician  who  had  been 
sent  for  had  gone  away  again.  Then  returning 
to  us,  she  sat  down  beside  Leonore  and  me  and 
told  us  that  we  ought  to  know  what  had  happened. 
Apparently  she  was  very  calm,  but  I  had  never 
seen  her  face  so  pale.  She  informed  us  that  when 
she  had  spoken  to  her  sons  about  their  future 
plans,  she  had  discovered  that  neither  of  them  had 
ever  spoken  about  it  to  the  other.  Now  they  both 
declared  to  her  that  their  full  intention  had  been 
for  years  to  come  home  after  the  completion  of 
their  studies  and  to  live  in  Wildenstein  with  her 
and  Leonore.  Bruno  was  quite  beside  himself 
when  he  found  that  Salo  had  apparently  no  inten- 
tion to  yield  to  him  in  the  matter,  so  he  challenged 
his  brother  to  a  duel  in  order  to  decide  which  of 
them  was  to  remain  at  home,  Salo  had  been 
wounded  and,  losing  consciousness,  had  fallen  to 
the  ground.     Bruno,  fearing  something  worse, 

107 


MAZLI 

had  disappeared.  The  doctor  had  not  found 
Salo's  wounds  of  a  serious  nature,  but  as  he  had 
a  delicate  constitution,  great  care  had  to  be  taken. 
When  I  left  the  castle  that  day  I  felt  that  all  the 
joy  and  happiness  I  had  ever  known  on  earth  was 
shattered,  and  this  feeling  stayed  with  me  a  long 
while  after.  Soon  after  that  sad  event  the 
Baroness  got  ready  for  a  journey  to  the  south, 
where  she  meant  to  go  with  Salo  and  Leonore. 
Salo  had  not  recovered  as  quickly  as  she  had 
hoped,  and  Leonore,  instead  of  getting  more 
robust  in  our  vigorous  mountain-air,  only  became 
thinner  and  frailer.  Only  once  Bruno  sent  his 
mother  some  news.  In  extremely  few  words  he 
let  her  know  that  he  was  going  to  Spain,  and  that 
she  need  not  trouble  more  about  him.  But  the 
news  of  his  brother's  survival  reached  him,  never- 
theless. Now  all  those  I  had  loved  so  passion- 
ately had  gone  away,  and  I  felt  it  very  deeply. 
There  the  castle  stood,  sad  and  lifeless,  and  its 
lighted  windows  looked  down  no  more  upon  us 
from  the  height.  All  its  eyes  were  closed  and 
were  to  remain  so." 

"  Oh,  oh,  did  they  never  come  back?  "  cried 
out  Kurt  with  regret. 

"  No,  never,"  the  mother  replied.     "  At  that 

108 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

time,  too,  apparently,  all  the  reports  which  had 
long  ago  faded  were  revived  as  to  a  ghost  who 
was  supposed  to  wander  about  the  castle.  There 
were  many  who  asserted  they  had  seen  or  heard 
Mm,  and  till  to-day  the  ghost  of  Wildenstein  is 
"launting  people's  heads." 

"  Look  at  him,"  said  Bruno  dryly,  pointing  to 
the  lower  end  of  the  table  where  Kurt  was  sitting. 

"  Finish,  please,  mother,"  the  latter  quickly 
urged.  '  Where  did  they  all  get  to?  And  where 
is  the  brother  who  disappeared?  " 

"  All  I  still  have  to  tell  you  is  short  and  sad," 
said  the  mother.  "  Leonore  faithfully  wrote  to 
me.  After  spending  the  first  winter  in  the  south 
it  became  apparent  that  the  Baroness's  health  was 
shattered.  She  refused  to  return  to  the  castle  and 
sent  her  instructions  to  Apollonie,  who  had  mar- 
ried the  gardener  of  Wildenstein,  and  who  now 
with  her  husband  became  caretaker  of  the  castle. 
Three  years  afterwards  the  Baroness  died  with- 
out ever  having  returned.  A  short  time  after  that 
Leonore  became  Salo's  wife,  but  they  were  not 
fated  to  remain  together  long.  Not  more  than 
three  years  later  Salo  died  of  a  violent  fever  and 
Leonore  followed  him  in  a  few  months,  but  they 
left  a  little  boy  and  a  little  girl.     After  Salo's 

109 


MAZLI 

death  Leonore  was  left  alone  in  life,  so  an  aunt 
from  Holstein  came  to  live  with  her  in  Nice. 
After  Leonore's  death  this  aunt  took  the  two 
children  home  with  her.  I  heard  this  from  Apol- 
lonie,  who  had  been  sent  Leonore's  last  instruc- 
tions by  this  aunt.  I  never  learned  anything  fur- 
ther about  the  two  children,  and  only  once  did  I 
receive  word  from  Baron  Bruno  through  Apol- 
lonie.  Your  late  father,  young  Rector  Berg- 
mann,  had  married  me  just  about  the  time  when 
we  heard  of  the  Baroness's  death.  I  followed 
him  very  gladly  to  Sils,  because  Philip  had  just 
bought  an  estate  there  and  was  very  anxious 
to  have  me  close  to  him.  One  day  Apollonie  came 
to  me  in  great  agitation.  Baron  Bruno,  never 
once  sending  word,  had  arrived  in  the  castle  after 
an  absence  of  eight  years  and  had  brought  with 
him  a  companion  by  the  name  of  Mr.  Demetrius. 
The  Baron  had  naturally  expected  to  find  his 
mother,  his  brother  and  his  erstwhile  playmates 
gathered  there  as  before.  When  he  heard  from 
Apollonie  everything  that  had  happened  in  his 
absence,  he  broke  into  a  violent  passion,  because 
he  believed  that  the  news  had  been  purposely  kept 
from  him.  Apollonie  was  able  to  show  him  his 
late  mother's  letters  where  she  had  given  her  exact 

no 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

orders  in  case  of  his  return.  He  could  also  see 
from  them  that  she  wrote  to  him  frequently  and 
had  tried  to  reach  him  in  vain.  Baron  Bruno 
had  lived  an  extremely  unsettled  existence  and 
all  the  letters  had  miscarried,  despite  the  orders 
he  had  left  in  big  cities  to  have  them  forwarded. 
Full  of  anger  and  bitterness  the  Baron  imme- 
diately left,  and  till  the  present  hour  he  has  not 
been  heard  of.  Mr.  Demetrius,  later  on  called 
Mr.  Trius  by  everybody,  came  back  a  few  years 
ago  to  the  deserted  castle.  Apollonie  had  mean- 
while lost  her  husband,  had  closed  up  all  the  rooms 
at  the  castle,  and  had  gone  to  live  again  in  the 
former  gardener's  cottage,  where  she  is  living 
now.  From  the  time  when  he  reappeared  till 
to-dav,  Mr.  Trius  has  led  a  solitary  life  and  sees 
no  one  except  Apollonie,  and  her  only  when  he 
is  in  need  of  her.  However  hard  Apollonie  tried 
to  make  him  tell  about  his  master,  he  would  not  do 
it.  You  know  now  about  my  happy  life  in  Wil- 
denstein  and  will  be  able  to  understand  the  reason 
why  I  moved  here  again  after  the  death  of  your 
father.  Another  inducement  was  that  our  dear 
Rector,  an  erstwhile  friend  of  my  father's,  prom- 
ised to  give  Bruno  instruction  which  he  could  not 
get  at  a  country  school,  so  that  I  was  able  to  keep 

111 


MAZLI 

him  at  home  longer,  you  see.  Now  you  know  why 
the  deserted  castle  attracts  me  so  despite  its  sad 
aspect,  for  it  Tarings  back  to  me  my  most  beauti- 
ful memories." 

"  Oh,  please,  mother,  tell  us  a  little  more," 
Kurt  begged  eagerly,  when  his  mother  rose. 

"  Oh,  mother,"  Mea  joined  in,  "  tell  us  more 
about  your  friend,  Leonore." 

"  Oh,  yes,  tell  us  more,  mother,"  Bruno  sup- 
plicated. "  There  must  be  more  to  know  still. 
Did  Baron  Bruno  keep  on  travelling  in  Spain?  " 

"  I  think  most  of  the  time,  but  I  can't  tell 
you  for  sure,"  the  mother  replied.  "  I  know 
everything  only  from  Apollonie,  who  had  these 
reports  from  Mr.  Trius,  but  he  either  does  not 
choose  to  talk  or  does  not  know  very  much  him- 
self about  his  master.  I  have  told  you  every- 
thing now  and  you  must  go  to  bed  as  quickly  as 
you  can.     It  was  your  bedtime  long  ago." 

No  questions  or  supplications  helped  now, 
and  soon  the  house  was  silent,  except  for  the 
mother's  quiet  steps  as  she  once  more  visited  the 
children's  beds.  Her  eldest,  who  could  become 
so  violent,  lay  before  her  with  a  peaceful  expres- 
sion on  his  clear  brow.  She  knew  how  high  his 
standard  of  honor  was,  but  how  would  he  end  if 

112 


CASTLE  WILDENSTEIN 

his  unfortunate  trait  gained  more  ascendency 
over  him?  Soon  she  would  be  obliged  to  send  him 
away,  and  how  could  she  hope  for  a  loving  in- 
fluence in  strange  surroundings,  which  was  the 
only  thing  to  quiet  him?  The  mother  knew  that 
she  had  not  the  power  to  keep  her  children  from 
pain  and  sin,  but  she  knew  the  hand  which  leads 
and  steadies  all  children  that  are  entrusted  to  it, 
that  can  guard  and  save  where  no  mother's  hand 
or  love  can  avail.  She  went  with  folded  hands 
from  one  bed  to  the  other,  surrendering  her  chil- 
dren to  their  Father's  protection  in  Heaven.  He 
knew  best  how  much  they  were  in  need  of  His 
loving  care. 


US 


CHAPTER  IV 
AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

KURT  had  so  many  plans  the  next  day  that 
he  already  rushed  to  school  as  if  he  had 
not  a  minute  to  lose.  Mea  and  Lippo, 
who  started  with  him,  looked  full  of  astonishment 
at  his  unusual  speed.  Arriving  at  the  school,  he 
saw  Loneli  coming  along  with  a  drooping  head 
and  not,  as  usual,  with  a  happy  stride. 

"What  is  it,  Loneli?"  asked  Kurt  coming 
nearer.  "  Why  are  your  eyes  swollen  already 
before  it  is  even  eight  o'clock?  Just  be  happy. 
I'll  help  you.    Did  anybody  hurt  you?  " 

"  No,  Kurt,  no  one,  but  I  can't  be  happy  any 
more,"  and  with  these  words  Loneli's  eyes  filled 
again  with  tears.  "  I  wish  you  could  see  grand- 
mother since  I've  been  on  the  shame-bench.  I 
would  not  mind  if  she  were  angry,  for  she  gener- 
ally forgives  me  again  after  a  while;  but  she  is 
sad  all  the  time.  It  is  worst  when  I  go  to  school 
in  the  morning,  because  she  says  that  I  brought 
down  shame  on  us  both,  and  that  I  have  given 
her  gray  hairs.    She  said  to  me  that  after  having 

1 14 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

lived  an  honorable  life  and  spent  most  of  it  with 
the  most  noble  family,  this  was  very  hard  for  her. 
She  felt  as  if  she  had  raised  me  only  to  bring 
down  shame  on  both  for  the  rest  of  our  lives." 

Loneli  broke  out  anew  into  tears.  This  never- 
ending  disgrace,  together  with  the  constant  re- 
proaches she  had  had  to  bear,  seemed  to  choke  her. 

"  No,  no,  Loneli,  you  don't  need  to  cry  any 
more.  It  is  not  at  all  the  way  your  grandmother 
is  taking  it,"  Kurt  said  consolingly.  "  I'll  go  to 
her  ever  so  soon  to  explain  what  happened. 
Please  be  happy  and  everything  will  come  out 
all  right." 

"  Do  you  think  so?  "  Loneli  asked,  pleasantly 
surprised.  Her  eyes  were  clear  again,  for  she 
always  believed  whatever  Kurt  said  to  her.  Now 
he  rushed  over  to  the  noisy  crowd  of  children, 
who  seemed  to  have  been  waiting  for  him.  Kurt 
was  always  glad  to  have  such  numerous  friends, 
for  he  usually  needed  a  large  following  for  the 
execution  of  his  schemes.  To-day  he  had  two 
large  undertakings  in  his  head,  and  he  needed  to 
persuade  his  comrades  to  join  him.  He  was  ex- 
plaining with  such  violent  gestures'  and  eager 
words  that  they  entirely  neglected  the  first  strokes 
of  the  tower  bell.    At  the  last  and  eighth  stroke 

115 


MAZLI 

the  little  crowd  dispersed  as  suddenly  as  a  flock 
of  frightened  birds.  Then  they  rushed  into  the 
school  house.  Kurt  was  home  to-day  ahead  of 
everybody,  too.  He  approached  his  mother  with 
a  large  sheet  of  paper. 

"  Look,  mother,  Mr.  Trius  got  a  song.  Yes- 
terday evening  he  threatened  two  more  of  my 
friends  with  the  stick,  but  they  were  luckily  able 
to  save  themselves.  It  seems  as  if  he  had  at  least 
four  eyes  and  ears  which  can  see  and  hear  what- 
ever is  going  on.  I  finished  the  song.  Can  I 
read  it  to  you?  " 

"  I  wish  you  had  no  friends  that  Mr.  Trius 
has  occasion  to  frighten  with  a  stick,"  said  the 
mother.  "  I  hope  that  it  won't  ever  happen 
to  you." 

"  Oh,  he  often  threatens  innocent  people," 
Kurt  replied.  "  Listen  to  a  true  description 
of  him." 

A  SONG  ABOUT  MR.  TRIUS,  THE  BOY  BEATER. 

Old  Trius  lives  in  our  town, 

A  haughty  man  is  he, 
And  every  one  that  he  can  catch 

He  beats  right  heartily. 
116 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

Old  Trius  wears  a  yellow  coat, 

It's  very  long  and  thick, 
But  all  the  children  run  away 

At  sight  of  his  big  stick. 

Old  Trius  of  the  pointed  hat 

He  wanders  all  around, 
And  if  he  beats  nobody,  why 

There's  no  one  to  be  found. 

Old  Trius  thinks :  To  spank  a  boy 

Is  really  very  kind, 
And  all  he  cannot  hit  in  front 

At  least  he  hits  behind. 

Old  Trius  makes  a  pretty  face 

With  every  blow  he  gives. 
He'll  beat  us  all  for  many  years, 

I'm  thinking,  if  he  lives. 

The  mother  could  not  help  smiling  a  little  bit 
during  the  perusal,  but  now  she  said  seriously: 
"  This  song  must  under  no  condition  fall  into 
Mr.  Trius'  hands.  He  might  not  look  at  it  as  a 
joke,  and  you  must  not  offend  him.  I  advise 
you,  Kurt,  not  to  challenge  Mr.  Trius  in  any 
way,  for  he  might  reply  to  you  in  some  unex- 
pected fashion.  He  has  his  own  ways  and  means 
of  getting  rid  of  people." 

Kurt  was  very  anxious  to  get  his  mother's 
117 


MAZLI 

permission  to  run  about  that  same  evening  by 
moonlight  with  his  friends,  and  his  mother 
granted  it  willingly. 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  going  on  one  of  the 
unfortunate  apple-expeditions  I  hear  so  much 
about,"  she  added. 

Kurt  quite  indignantly  assured  her  that  he 
would  never  do  such  a  thing.  Lippo  was  pushing 
him  to  one  side  now.  The  little  boy  had  made 
attempts  to  reach  his  mother  for  several  min- 
utes, and  he  was  delighted  at  his  brother's 
quick  departure. 

"  Mr.  Rector  sends  you  his  regards  and  he 
wants  to  know  if  you  wanted  to  give  him  an  an- 
swer.   Here  is  a  letter,"  said  Lippo. 

"  Where  did  you  bring  the  letter  from? " 
asked  the  mother. 

"  I  didn't  bring  the  letter.  Lise  from  the 
rectory  brought  it,"  was  Lippo's  information. 
"  But  Lise  saw  me  in  front  of  the  door  and  said 
that  I  should  take  the  letter  up  with  me  and  give 
it  to  you,  and  tell  her  whether  you  wanted  to  give 
the  Rector  an  answer  or  not." 

"  Oh,  that  is  just  the  way  a  message  ought  to 
be  given,"  the  mother  said  with  a  smile.  "  Did 
you  hear  it,  Mazli  ?    I  wish  you  could  learn  from 

118 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

Lippo  how  to  do  it.  Whenever  you  have  one  to 
give,  I  have  such  trouble  to  find  out  what  really 
happened  and  what  you  have  only  imagined." 

Mazli,  whose  knitting-ball  was  at  that  moment 
in  the  most  hopelessly  knotted  condition,  was  ever 
so  glad  when  her  mother  suggested  a  new  activity. 
Quickly  flinging  her  knitting  away,  she  jumped 
up  from  her  stool.  Then  she  began  to  repeat 
Lippo's  speech,  word  for  word:  "  I  did  not  bring 
the  letter.    Lise  from  the  rectory " 

"  No,  no,  Mazli,  I  do  not  mean  it  that  way," 
the  mother  interrupted  her.  "  I  mean  that  the 
reports  you  bring  me  so  often  sound  quite  im- 
possible. I  want  you  to  be  as  careful  and  exact 
in  them  as  Lippo." 

In  the  meantime  the  mother  had  opened  the 
letter  and  looked  suddenly  quite  frightened. 

"  Tell  the  girl  that  I  shall  go  to  Mr.  Rector 
myself  and  that  she  need  not  wait  for  an  answer," 
was  her  message  entrusted  to  Lippo. 

The  thing  she  had  dreaded  so  much  was  settled 
now.  The  Rector  let  her  know  in  his  letter  that 
he  had  realized  the  time  had  come  for  his  pupils 
to  be  put  into  different  hands.  He  wrote  that  he 
had  decided  to  discontinue  the  studies  with  them 
next  fall,  but  that  he  would  be  only  too  glad  to 

H9 


MAZLI 

be  of  assistance  to  Mrs.  Maxa  in  consulting  about 
Bruno's  further  education.  He  closed  with  an 
assurance  that  he  would  be  the  happier  to  do  so 
because  Bruno  had  always  been  very  dear  to  him. 

Mrs.  Maxa,  sitting  silently  with  folded  hands, 
was  lost  in  thought.  This  was  something  that 
happened  very  seldom. 

But  Mea  stood  before  her  and  trying  to  get 
her  sympathy  with  passionate  gestures.  "  Just 
think,  mother,"  she  cried  out,  "  Elvira  is  so  angry 
now  that  she  will  never  have  anything  more  to  do 
with  me,  no  never.  But  she  was  most  offended 
because  I  told  her  that  it  was  wrong  of  her  not 
to  admit  that  she  had  chattered  in  school.  She 
said  quite  sarcastically  that  if  I  chose  to  correct 
her  on  account  of  that  raggedy  Loneli,  I  should 
keep  Loneli  for  a  friend  and  not  her." 

"  Let  her  be  for  once,"  said  the  mother.  "  Till 
now  you  have  always  gone  after  her;  so  do  what 
she  wishes  this  time.  It  is  wrong  to  call  Loneli 
raggedy ;  few  people  are  as  honest  and  agreeable 
as  Apollonie  and  her  grandchild." 

Mea  was  ready  with  many  more  complaints, 
for  whenever  anything  bothered  her,  she  felt  the 
need  to  tell  her  mother.     She  realized,  though, 

120 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

that  she  had  to  put  off  further  communications 
for  a  quiet  evening  hour. 

Bruno  had  approached,  and  turning  to  his 
mother,  asked  in  great  suspense:  "  Mother,  what 
did  Mr.  Rector  write  to  you?  Have  the  plum- 
thieves  been  discovered? " 

"  I  do  not  think  that  they  have  brought  his 
decision  about,  but  I  am  sure  they  hastened  it. 
Read  the  letter,"  said  his  mother,  handing  it 
to  him. 

"  That  is  not  so  bad,"  Bruno  said  after  read- 
ing it.  "  As  soon  as  you  send  me  to  town  I  shall 
be  rid  of  them  at  last,  and  I  won't  have  to 
bother  about  them  any  more.  You  know, 
mother,  that  all  they  care  about  is  to  do  mean  and 
nasty  things." 

"  But  they  will  go  to  town,  too,  and  then  you 
will  be  thrown  together.  There  won't  be  any- 
body then  who  cares  for  you  and  will  listen  to 
you,"  the  mother  lamented. 

"  Do  not  worry,  mother,  the  town  is  big  and 
we  won't  be  so  close  together.  I'll  keep  far 
enough  away  from  them,  you  may  be  sure.  Don't 
let  it  trouble  you,"  Bruno  reassured  her. 

Kurt  was  so  much  occupied  at  lunch  with 
his  own  plans  and  ideas  that  he  never  even  noticed 

121 


MAZLI 

when  his  favorite  dessert  appeared  on  the  table. 
Lippo,  seriously  looking  at  him,  said  quite  re- 
proachfully, "  Now  you  don't  even  see  that  we 
have  apple-dumpling."  Such  an  indifference 
seemed  wrong  to  the  little  boy. 

But  Kurt  even  swallowed  the  apple-dumpling 
absent-mindedly.  After  lunch  he  begged  his 
mother's  permission  to  be  allowed  to  leave  imme- 
diately, because  he  still  had  so  much  to  talk  over 
with  his  friends.  "I'll  tell  you  all  about  it  after- 
wards, mother.  Be  sure  that  I  am  doing  some- 
thing right  that  ought  to  be  done,"  he  reassured 
her.  "If  only  I  can  go  now."  Having  obtained 
permission,  he  shot  away,  and  arriving  at  the 
school-house,  flew  into  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of 
boys.  But  before  their  plan  could  be  carried  out 
the  children  were  obliged  to  sit  two  whole  hours 
on  the  school-benches.  It  truly  seemed  to-day  as 
if  they  would  never  end. 

Lux,  the  sexton's  boy,  who  preferred  pulling 
the  bell-rope  and  being  violently  drawn  up  by  it 
to  sitting  in  school,  tapped  his  neighbor's  sleeve. 

"  How  late  is  it,  Max?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Max,"  Lux  whispered  again,  "  the  second 

122 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

expedition  will  be  more  fun  than  the  first.  I  look 
forward  to  it  more,  don't  you?  " 

"  You  can  look  forward  to  the  shame-bench 
if  you  don't  keep  quiet,"  Max  retorted,  squinting 
with  his  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the  teacher. 

The  latter  had  actually  directed  his  eyes 
to  the  side  where  the  whisperers  sat.  Lux, 
bending  over  his  book,  kept  quiet  at  last. 
Finally  the  longed-for  hour  came  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  whole  swarm  was  outside.  With  a 
great  deal  of  noise,  but  in  a  quick  and  pretty 
orderly  fashion  they  now  formed  a  procession, 
which  began  to  move  in  the  direction  of  Apol- 
lonie's  little  house.  Here  a  halt  was  made.  Kurt, 
climbing  to  the  top  of  a  heap  of  logs,  which  lay 
in  the  pathway,  stood  upright,  while  the  others 
grouped  themselves  about  him.  Apollonie 
opened  the  window  a  little,  but  hid  behind  it,  for 
she  was  wondering  what  was  going  on.  Loneli 
stood  close  behind  her.  She  had  just  come  back 
breathlessly,  for  she  had  heard  that  a  procession 
was  coming  towards  her  grandmother's  house. 

"  Mrs.  Apollonie,"  Kurt  cried  out  with  loud 
voice,  "  two  whole  classes  from  school  have  come 
to  you  to  tell  you  that  it  was  not  Loneli's  fault 
when  she  had  to  sit  on  the  shame-bench.     It  only 

123 


MAZLI 

happened  because  her  character  is  so  good.  Out 
of  pure  politeness  she  answered  a  question  some- 
body asked  her.  When  the  teacher  wanted  to 
know  who  was  chattering,  she  honestly  accused 
herself.  She  did  not  tell  him  that  she  answered  a 
question  in  fear  of  accusing  somebody  else.  We 
wanted  to  tell  you  all  about  it  so  that  you  won't 
think  you  have  to  be  ashamed  of  Loneli.  We 
think  and  know  that  she  is  the  friendliest  and 
most  obliging  child  in  school." 

"  Long  live  Loneli! "  Lux  suddenly  cheered 
so  that  the  whole  band  involuntarily  joined 
him.  "Long  live  Loneli!;"  it  sounded  again 
and  the  echo  from  the  castle-mountain  re- 
peated, "  Loneli." 

Apollonie  opened  the  window  completely,  and 
putting  out  her  head,  cried:  "  It  is  lovely  of  you, 
children  that  you  don't  want  Loneli  disgraced. 
I  thank  you  for  justifying  her.  Wait  a  minute. 
I  should  like  to  do  you  a  favor,  too." 

With  that  Apollonie  disappeared  from  the 
window.  Soon  after  she  came  out  by  the  door 
with  a  large  basket  of  fragrant  apples  on  her  arm. 
Putting  it  in  front  of  the  children,  she  said  en- 
couragingly, "  Help  yourselves." 

"  Good  gracious,"  cried  out  Lux,  with  one  of 

124 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

the  juicy  apples  between  his  teeth,  "  I  know  these. 
They  only  grow  in  the  castle-garden,  on  the  two 
trees  on  the  right,  in  the  corner  by  the  fence. 
Do  you  know  that,  Kurt,"  he  said  confidentially, 
"  I  only  ivonder  how  she  could  get  hold  of  such 
a  basket   full,   you  know,   without  being — you 

know- "     With  this  he  made  the  unmistakable 

motion  of  Mr.  Trius  with  his  tool  of  correction. 

"  What  on  earth  do  you  mean?  "  Kurt  cried 
out  full  of  indignation.  "  Mrs.  Apollonie  did  not 
need  to  steal  them.  Mr.  Trius  certainly  could 
give  her  a  few  baskets  of  apples  for  all  the  shirts 
she  sews  and  mends  for  him." 

"  Oh,  I  see,  that  is  different,"  said  Lux,  now 
properly  informed. 

In  the  shortest  time  the  huge  basket  was 
emptied  of  its  delicious  apples  and  the  whole  band 
had  dispersed  after  many  exclamations  of  thanks. 
They  all  ran  home  and  Kurt  outran  them  all.  It 
was  important  now  to  do  his  home-work  as  speed- 
ily as  possible,  as  the  second  expedition  was  to 
take  place  a  little  later.  When  he  reached  the 
front  door  he  noticed  that  Mrs.  Knippel  was 
coming  up  behind  him. 

Running  ahead  quickly,  he  flung  open  the 
living-room  door  and  called  in,  "  Take  Mazli  out 

125 


MAZLI 

of  the  way  or  else  something  horrible  will  hap- 
pen again." 

After  saying  this  he  ran  away.  Bruno  and 
Mea,  who  were  busy  in  the  room  with  their  work, 
did  not  find  it  necessary  to  follow  Kurt's  com- 
mand. If  he  found  it  so  necessary,  why  didn't 
he  do  it  himself,  they  thought,  remaining  seated. 
Mazli  had  risen  rapidly  and  looked  towards  the 
door  with  large  expectant  eyes,  wondering  what 
was  going  to  happen.    Mrs.  Knippel  now  entered. 

"  Why  does  something  horrible  always  hap- 
pen when  Mrs.  Knippel  comes?  "  Mazli  asked  in 
a  loud  voice. 

Mea,  quickly  getting  up,  went  out  of  the  door, 
pulling  Mazli  after  her;  to  explain  her  hasty 
retreat,  she  said  that  she  wanted  to  fetch  her 
mother.  She  simply  had  to  take  that  horrible 
little  Mazli  out  of  the  way ;  who  could  know  what 
she  might  say  next.  She  always  brought  for- 
ward her  most  awful  ideas  when  it  was  least  suit- 
able. The  mother,  who  was  on  the  way  already, 
entered  just  when  Mea  was  running  out  with 
Mazli.  Bruno  also  slipped  quickly  after  them. 
He  had  only  waited  for  his  mother's  appearance 
in  order  to  fly. 

"  Your  children  are  certainly  very  peculiar,,, 

126 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

the  district  attorney's  wife  began.  "  I  have  to 
think  so  every  time  I  see  them.  What  do  all 
your  admonitions  help,  I  should  like  to  know? 
Nature  will  have  its  way!  Not  one  of  my  chil- 
dren has  ever  been  so  impertinent,  to  say  the  least, 
as  your  little  daughter  is  already." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  you  should  have  to  tell  me 
that,"  Mrs.  Maxa  replied.  "  Isn't  it  possible 
that  the  child  should  have  unconsciously  said  an 
impertinence  ?  I  hope  you  have  never  had  a  simi- 
lar experience  with  my  older  children." 

"  No,  I  could  not  say  that,"  Mrs.  Knippel 
answered.  "  But  I  should  say  that  all  of  them 
have  inherited  the  love  of  preaching,  especially 
your  daughter  Mea.  Children  can  be  unlike  by 
disposition  without  its  being  necessary  that  one 
of  them  should  constantly  make  sermons  to 
the  other." 

"  My  children  are  very  often  of  different  opin- 
ions, but  I  could  not  say  that  they  preach  much 
to  each  other,"  said  Mrs.  Maxa. 

"  It  is  certainly  Mea's  habit  to  do  so,  and  that 
is  why  she  is  not  able  to  keep  peace  with  her 
friends.  I  suppose  you  received  a  letter  from 
our  Rector  telling  you  of  the  refusal  to  teach  the 
boys  any  further." 

107 


MAZLI 

This  was  said  with  a  less  severe  intonation. 

Mrs.  Maxa  confirmed  the  statement. 

"  So  the  change  we  have  looked  forward  to  has 
really  come,"  the  visitor  continued,  "  and  my  hus- 
band agrees  with  me  that  prompt  action  should 
be  taken.  He  is  going  to  the  city  to-morrow; 
in  fact,  he  has  left  already  in  order  to  visit  his  sis- 
ter on  the  way.  He  will  look  for  a  suitable, 
attractive  home  in  town  that  the  three  boys  can 
move  into  next  fall." 

"  You  do  not  mean  to  tell  me,  Mrs.  Knippel, 
that  your  husband  is  ordering  living-quarters  for 
Bruno,  too?  "  Mrs.  Maxa  said  in  consternation. 

"  Oh,  yes,  and  this  is  why  my  husband  has  sent 
me  here,  to  let  you  know  how  glad  he  is  to  do  it  for 
you,"  the  attorney's  wife  said  soothingly.  "  He 
was  positively  sure  that  you  would  be  glad  if  he 
decided  and  ordered  everything  to  suit  himself 
and  you." 

"  But,  Mrs.  Knippel,  I  am  not  prepared  for 
this.  I  have  not  even  spoken  to  my  brother 
about  it.  You  know  very  well  that  he  is  the 
children's  guardian." 

Mrs.  Maxa  was  quite  unable  to  hide  her 
excitement. 

"  You  can  be  reassured,  for  we  have  thought 

128 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

of  that,  too,"  the  visitor  said  with  a  slightly 
superior  smile.  "  My  husband's  sister  does  not 
live  very  far  from  Mr.  Falcon  in  Sils.  So  he 
planned  to  visit  your  brother  and  talk  the  plan 
over  with  him." 

This  calmed  Mrs.  Maxa  a  trifle,  for  her 
brother  knew  already  how  it  stood  between  the 
three  comrades  and  how  little  she  wanted  them 
to  live  together.  But  she  could  not  help  wonder- 
ing why  these  people  were  trying  to  force  the 
boys  to  live  together. 

"I  do  not  really  understand  why  the  boys 
should  have  to  live  together,"  she  said  with  ani- 
mation; "  they  do  not  profess  to  feel  much  friend- 
ship for  each  other,  and  never  seek  each  other  out. 
You  yourself,  Mrs.  Knippel,  do  not  seem  to  get 
a  very  good  impression  from  my  children's  ways. 
I  do  not  see  why  you  wish  your  sons  to  live  with 
mine  at  all." 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  decorum,"  the  attorney's 
wife  replied,  "  and  my  husband  agrees  with  me. 
What  would  people  in  town  say  if  the  sons  of  the 
two  best  families  here,  who  have  always  studied 
together,  should  not  live  together?  Everybody 
would  think  that  something  special  had  happened 

9  12.Q 


MAZLI 

between  the  families.  Both  parties  will  only  gain 
in  respect  by  joining." 

"  I  do  not  believe  that  people  in  the  city  will 
be  interested  in  what  the  three  boys  are  doing," 
said  Mrs.  Maxa,  smiling  a  little. 

That  same  moment  the  door  was  flung  wide 
open.  With  a  triumphant  face  as  if  she  wanted 
to  say,  "  Just  look  whom  I  bring  you  here," 
Mazli  stood  on  the  threshhold  leading  Apollonie 
in.    The  latter  hastily  retreated. 

"  No,  no,  Mazli,"  she  said  quite  frightened, 
"  you  should  have  told  me  that  there  was 
company." 

Mrs.  Knippel  had  risen  to  take  her  departure : 
"  It  seems  to  me  that  other  visitors  are  greeted 
very  joyfully  by  your  children.  Well,  I  must  say 
they  have  rather  odd  tastes,"  she  said,  walking 
towards  the  door. 

"  Apollonie  is  a  very  old  friend  of  ours.  All 
the  children  love  her  very  much.  They  may  have 
inherited  this  attachment,  though,"  Mrs.  Maxa 
replied  with  a  smile. 

"  I  only  want  to  say  one  more  word,"  said  the 
lady  turning  round  before  stepping  outside  the 
door.  "  The  scene  your  son  Kurt  enacted  to-day 
in  front  of  Apollonie's  cottage  with  his  crowd  of 

130 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

miscellaneous  friends  can  only  be  called  a 
vulgar  noise." 

But  Mrs.  Maxa  did  not  yet  know  what  Kurt 
had  done.  The  visitor  turned  to  go  now,  as  it 
seemed  not  worth  her  while  to  waste  words  about 
it.  As  soon  as  the  field  was  clear,  Mazli  rushed 
out  of  a  hiding-place,  pulling  Apollonie  with  her. 
The  old  woman  was  terribly  apologetic  about  hav- 
ing gone  into  the  room.  When  she  had  told 
Mazli  that  she  wanted  to  see  her  mother,  the  little 
girl  had  taken  her  there  without  any  further  ado. 
She  informed  the  Rector's  widow  that  she  had 
come  to  her  with  a  quite  incredible  communication. 

Mrs.  Maxa  found  it  necessary  at  this  point 
to  interrupt  her  friend.  She  had  noticed  that 
Mazli  was  all  ears  to  what  was  coming. 

"  Mazli,  go  and  play  with  Lippo  till  I  come," 
she  said. 

"  Please  tell  me  all  about  it  afterwards,  Apol- 
lonie," was  Mazli's  instruction  before  going  to  do 
as  she  was  bid. 

Apollonie's  communication  took  a  consider- 
able time.  She  had  just  left  when  the  family  sat 
down  to  a  belated  supper. 

Kurt  swallowed  his  meal  with  signs  of  im- 
moderate impatience.     As  soon  as  possible  he 

131 


MAZLI 

rushed  away,  after  having  given  his  promise  not 
to  come  home  late.  The  friends  that  were  to  join 
him  in  this  expedition  had  to  be  sought  out  first. 
When  he  neared  the  meeting  place,  he  felt  a  little 
disappointed.  In  the  twilight  he  could  see  that 
there  was  a  smaller  number  assembled  than  he 
had  hoped  for.  This  certainly  was  not  the  crowd 
he  had  had  together  at  noon  when  at  least 
all  the  boys  had  promised  to  take  part  in  his 
new  enterprise. 

"  They  were  afraid,  they  were  afraid,"  all 
voices  cried  together.  Kurt  heard  now,  while 
each  screamed  louder  than  the  other  that  many 
boys  and  girls  had  left  when  the  darkness  was 
beginning  to  fall.  Among  the  few  that  were 
left  there  were  only  four  girls. 

"  It  doesn't  matter,"  said  Kurt.  "  There  are 
enough  people  still.  Whoever  is  afraid  may 
leave.  We  must  start,  though,  because  we  have 
rather  far  to  go.  We  are  not  going  up  the  well- 
known  path,  because  Mr.  Trius  watches  for 
apple-hunters  there  till  midnight,  I  think.  That 
suits  us  exactly,  for  he  must  not  hear  us.  We 
are  going  up  tc  the  woods  at  the  back  of  the  castle. 
First,  we'll  sing  our  challenge,  then  comes  a 
pause,  to  give  the  ghost  enough  time,  then  again, 

132 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

and  after  *hat  for  the  third  and  last  time.  If 
there  really  is  a  ghost,  he  will  have  appeared  by 
then.  You  can  understand  that  he  won't  let  him- 
self be  teased  by  us.  So  when  he  hasn't  come,  we 
can  tell  everybody  what  we  did.  Then  they'll 
see  that  it  is  only  a  superstition  and  that  there 
is  no  wandering  ghost  in  Wildenstein.  For- 
ward now! " 

The  little  crowd  set  out  full  of  spirits  and 
eagerness  for  the  adventure,  for  Kurt  had  clearly 
shown  them  that  there  could  be  no  ghost.  To 
go  up  there  and  sing  loudly  to  a  non-existent 
ghost  was  capital  fun.  Furthermore,  they  looked 
forward  to  boasting  of  their  daring  deed  after- 
wards. Faster  and  faster  they  climbed,  so  that 
only  half  of  the  usual  time  was  taken  in  reaching 
their  destination.  It  was  dark  at  first,  but  the 
moon  suddenly  came  out  from  behind  the  clouds, 
cheerfully  lighting  up  the  fields. 

Having  reached  the  rear  of  the  castle  hill, 
they  hurried  up  the  incline  and  into  the  pine- 
woods,  where  the  trees  stood  extremely  close  to- 
gether. This  made  it  very  dark,  despite  the  fact 
that  the  wood  was  small.  Soon  clouds  covered 
the  moon,  and  the  little  band  became  stiller  and 
stiller.     Here   and   there   one   of  the   children 

133 


MAZLI 

sneaked  off  and  did  not  reappear.  Three  of  the 
girls,  after  mysteriously  whispering  together, 
were  gone,  too,  and  with  them  several  more  stole 
away,  for  there  was  a  strange  rustling  in  the 
bushes.  Kurt  with  Lux  and  his  enterprising 
sister  Clevi  were  at  the  extreme  front. 

When  it  became  very  still,  Kurt  turned 
around. 

"Come  along!  Where  are  you  all?"  he 
called  back. 

"  We  are  coming,"  several  voices  answered 
from  some  children  immediately  behind  him.  It 
was  Max,  Hans  and  Simi,  and  then  Stoffi  and 
Rudi  behind  them,  but  they  were  all.  Kurt  halted. 

"  Where  is  the  whole  troup  ? "  asked  Kurt. 
"  Let  us  wait  till  they  catch  up.  We  must  all 
stay  together  up  there." 

But  none  followed.  All  the  answer  Kurt  got 
to  his  question  was  the  screaching  of  an  owl. 

"  Oh,  they've  gone,  they  were  afraid,"  said 
Max.  "  They  were  there,  though,  when  we  came 
into  the  woods." 

"The  cowards!"  Clevi  cried  indignantly. 
"  To  be  afraid  of  trees !    That  certainly  is  funny." 

"  Well,  we  aren't  afraid  anyway;  otherwise 

134« 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

we  shouldn't  be  here  any  more.  Call  to  those 
who  are  gone,"  Max  called  back. 

"Come  on  now,  come!"  Kurt  commanded. 
"  There  are  eight  of  us  left  to  sing,  so  we  must  all 
sing  very  loud." 

On  they  went  speedily  till  they  could  see  the 
end  of  the  woods.  One  of  the  gray  towers  was 
peering  between  the  trees.  They  had  at  last 
reached  their  goal. 

"  Here  we  stop !  "  said  Kurt,  "  but  we  must 
not  go  outside  the  woods.  The  Wildenstein  ghost 
might  otherwise  step  up  to  us,  if  he  walks  around 
the  terrace.    Here  we  go  I" 

Kurt  began  and  all  the  others  vigorously 
joined  him: 

Come  out,  you  ghost  of  Wildenstein! 

For  we  are  not  afraid, 
We've  come  here  in  the  bright  moonshine 

To  sing  the  song  we've  made 
Come  out,  come  out,  and  leave  your  den; 

You'll  never  scare  the  folks  again. 

Everything  was  quiet  roundabout,  only  the 
nightwind  was  soughing  in  the  old  pine-trees. 
Between  them  there  was  a  clear  view  of  the  ter- 
race, which  the  moon  was  now  flooding  with 

135 


MAZLI 

light;  the  space  before  the  castle  lay  peaceful 
and  deserted. 

"  We  must  sing  again,"  said  Kurt.  "  He 
didn't  hear  us.  If  he  doesn't  give  us  an  answer 
this  time  we'll  tell  him  what  we  know.  Then 
we'll  sing  fearfully  loud: 

Hurrah !    We  have  a  certain  sign, 
There  is  no  ghost  in  Wildenstein. 

"  Then  we'll  start  again." 
Clevi,  who  was-  gifted  with  a  far-carrying 
voice,  began: 

"Come  out,  you  ghost  of  Wildenstein !  " 

And  the  boys  with  voices  of  thunder 
chimed  in: 

"  For  we  are  not  afraid." 

"  Just  look !  Who  is  coming  there  ?  Who  can 
it  be?  "  said  Kurt,  staring  at  the  terrace. 

An  incredibly  tall  figure,  which  could  not  pos- 
sibly be  human,  was  wandering  across  the  terrace 
with  slow  steps.  It  could  not  be  a  tree  either, 
for  it  slowly  moved  over  towards  the  woods.  Did 
he  really  see  straight,  or  was  it  the  moonlight 
which  was  throwing  a  flitting  shadow. 

That  moment  Max,  who  was  very  big,  turned 

136 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPAMTION 

about  and  fled.  The  four  others  followed  head- 
long, leaving  only  Lux  and  Clevi  beside  Kurt. 

The  horrible  figure  came  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  it  could  now  be  clearly  discerned.  Full  moon- 
light fell  on  the  armor  he  was  garbed  in  and  made 
it,  as  well  as  the  high  helmet  with  waving  plumes, 
glitter  brightly.  A  long  mantle  fell  from  his 
shoulders  down  to  his  high  riding  boots,  half 
hiding  his  fearful  figure.  Could  this  be  a  human 
creature  ?  No,  impossible !  No  living  man  could 
be  as  enormous  as  that.  With  measured  steps  the 
apparition  walked  silently  towards  the  pine  trees. 
Here  the  three  singers  stood  horror-stricken,  not 
uttering  a  sound. 

Lux,  like  one  crazed,  suddenly  rushed  head- 
long away  between  the  trees  and  down  the  hill. 
Clevi  once  more  looked  at  the  approaching  figure 
with  wide-open  eyes.  Before  following  her 
brother  she  wanted  to  see  exactly  what  the  knight 
looked  like. 

Kurt  was  left  quite  alone,  and  still  the  fearful 
creature  stalked  nearer.  With  a  desperate  leap 
he  sprang  to  one  side  and  left  the  woods  abruptly. 
Hurrying  towards  the  meadow,  he  ran  down 
the  mountain,  leaped  over  first  one  hedge  and 
then  a  second.    Then  he  flew  on  till  he  stood  in 

137 


MAZLI 

the  little  garden  at  home  where  a  peaceful  light 
from  the  living-room  seemed  to  greet  him. 

Breathing  deeply,  he  ran  in  and  his  mother 
met  him  at  the  door. 

"  Oh,  is  it  you,  Kurt  ?  "  she  said  kindly.  "  But 
you  are  a  little  late  after  all.  Was  it  so  hard  to 
leave  the  beautiful  moonlight?  Or  was  it  such 
fun  rushing  about?  But,  Kurt,  you  are  entirely 
out  of  breath.  Come  sit  down  a  moment  with  me. 
After  that  you  have  to  go  to  bed;  all  the  others 
have  gone  already." 

Usually  Kurt  would  have  adored  being  able 
to  sit  alone  with  his  mother  and  have  all  her 
attention  directed  towards  him.  This  he  could 
not  enjoy  now.  Might  not  his  mother  ask  him 
further  details  about  his  walk?  So  he  said  that 
he  preferred  to  go  to  bed  right  away,  and  his 
mother  understood  that  he  was  glad  to  get  to  rest 
after  running  about  so  ceaselessly.  Only  when 
Kurt  lay  safely  and  quietly  in  bed  could  he  think 
over  what  had  happened  and  how  cowardly  he 
had  acted. 

After  all,  his  mother  had  clearly  told  him  that 
there  was  no  ghost  in  Wildenstein.  Whom  then 
had  he  seen  in  armor  and  helmet  and  with  a  long 
mantle?     It  could  not  have  been   Mr.   Trius, 

138 


AN  UNEXPECTED  APPARITION 

because  he  was  a  short,  stout  person,  whereas  the 
apparition  was  a  tree-high  figure.  Might  it  be 
a  sentinel  at  the  castle  who  was  ordered  to  go 
about?  May  be  the  old  castle-barons  had  always 
wished  an  armed  sentinel  to  keep  watch.  If  only 
he  had  not  run  away !  He  could  have  let  the  senti- 
nel walk  up  to  him  and  then  he  could  have  told 
him  of  his  intention.  The  sentinel  could  only  have 
been  pleased  by  his  endeavor  to  get  rid  of  such  an 
old  superstition.    If  only  he  had  not  run  away! 

Oh,  yes,  now  that  Kurt  was  safely  under  cover 
and  Bruno's  breathing  beside  him  spoke  of  his  big 
brother's  nearness,  it  seemed  easy  enough  to  act 
bravely!  If  only  he  had  done  it!  The  thing 
he  could  not  explain  to  himself  was  how  anybody 
could  be  so  horribly  tall.  That  was  hardly  credi- 
ble. Kurt  felt  at  bottom  quite  sure  that  it  was 
impossible  for  anybody  to  look  like  that. 

"If  only  I  could  have  told  mother  about  it!  " 
he  sighed.  But  he  felt  dreadfully  ashamed.  She 
had  absolutely  forbidden  him  troubling  himself 
about  this  matter.  Even  with  his  intention  to  get 
rid  of  the  talk  he  had  acted  against  her  command. 
Well,  and  what  had  he  accomplished?  More  than 
ever  the  whole  village  would  say  to-morrow  that 
the  ghost  of  Wildenstein  was  wandering  about 

139 


MAZLI 

again.  Furthermore  he  did  not  know  how  to 
gainsay  it.    If  it  only  had  not  been  so  huge! 

When  the  mother  stepped  up  to  her  children's 
bedside  later  on  as  usual,  she  stopped  a  little  while 
before  Kurt.  Hearing  him  moaning  in  his  sleep, 
she  thought  he  was  ill. 

"  Kurt,"  she  said  quietly,  "  does  something 
hurt  you?  " 

He  woke  up.  "  Oh,  mother,"  he  said,  seizing 
her  hand,  "  is  it  you?  I  thought  the  ghost  of 
Wildenstein  was  stretching  out  his  enormous  arm 
towards  me ! 

"  You  were  dreaming;  don't  think  about  such 
things  in  daytime,"  the  mother  said  kindly. 
"  Have  you  forgotten  your  evening  prayer  after 
the  excitements  of  the  day?  " 

"  Yes,  I  had  so  much  to  think  about  that  I 
forgot  it,"  Kurt  admitted. 

"  Say  it  now,  then  you  will  fall  asleep  more 
quietly,"  said  the  mother.  "  But  please,  Kurt, 
never  forget  that  God  hears  our  prayers  and  com- 
forts and  calms  us  only  when  we  open  our  hearts 
entirely  to  him.  You  know,  Kurt,  don't  you,  that 
we  must  hide  nothing  from  him?  " 

Kurt  moaned  "  Yes  "  in  a  very  low  voice. 

After  giving  him  a  good-night  kiss  the  mother 
withdrew. 

140 


CHAPTER  V 
OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

IT  seemed  as  if  for  several  days  a  heavy  atmos- 
phere was  weighing  down  the  limbs  of  all  Mrs. 
Maxa's  household,  so  that  its  wonted  cheer- 
fulness was  entirely  absent.  Even  the  mother 
went  about  more  silently  than  usual,  for  the  worry 
about  Bruno's  future  weighed  heavily  on  her 
heart.  She  had  written  to  her  brother  to  come 
to  her  as  soon  as  possible,  so  that  they  could  talk 
the  matter  over  and  come  to  a  united  decision. 
He  had  answered  her  that  urgent  business  was 
forcing  him  to  a  journey  to  South  Germany,  and 
that  it  would  be  time  enough  to  settle  the  matter 
after  his  return.  Bruno,  having  heard  about  the 
situation,  was  already  wrought  up  by  the  mere 
possibility  of  his  being  obliged  to  live  with  the 
two  boys.  Secretly  he  was  already  making  the 
wildest  plans  in  order  to  escape  such  an  intoler- 
able situation.  Why  shouldn't  he  simply  disap- 
pear and  go  to  Spain  like  the  young  Baron  of 
Wallerstatten?  Probably  the  young  gentleman 
had  had  some  money  to  dispose  of,  while  he  had 

141 


MAZLI 

none.  He  might  hire  himself  out  as  a  sailor, 
however,  and  travel  to  China  or  Australia.  He 
might  study  the  inhabitants  and  peculiarities  of 
these  countries  and  write  famous  books  about 
them.  In  that  way  he  could  make  a  good  liveli- 
hood. Might  he  not  join  a  band  of  wandering 
singers?  His  mother  had  already  told  him  how 
Well  his  voice  sounded  and  that  she  wanted  him 
to  develop  it  later  on.  With  wrinkled  brows 
Bruno  sat  about  whole  evenings,  not  saying  one 
word  but  meditating  on  his  schemes.  He  found 
it  extremely  hard  to  tell  which  one  of  them  was 
best  and  to  think  of  means  to  carry  it  out. 

Mea's  forehead,  also,  was  darkened  by  heavy 
clouds,  but  she  was  not  as  silent  as  her  brother. 
Every  few  moments  exclamations  of  pain  or 
indignation  escaped  her.  But  had  she  not 
fared  badly? 

When  they  had  moved  from  Sils  to  Nolla, 
Elvira  had  immediately  approached  Mea  as  if  she 
wanted  to  become  her  friend.  Mrs.  Knippel  had 
sent  her  an  invitation  in  order  to  cement  the  bonds 
of  friendship,  and  she  had  done  the  same  with 
Bruno,  who  was  to  become  her  sons'  close  com- 
rade. It  was  quite  true  that  Bruno  had  declared 
from  the  beginning  that  he  would  not  make 

142 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

friends  with  the  two  who  were  to  share  his  studies, 
and  every  time  they  came  together  fights  and 
quarrels  were  the  result. 

But  Mea  had  a  heart  which  craved  friendship. 
She  was  overcome  with  happiness  by  the  advances 
of  the  Knippel  family,  and  immediately  gave  her- 
self to  her  new  friend  with  absolute  confidence 
and  warm  love.  Soon  many  differences  of  opin- 
ion and  of  natural  disposition  showed  themselves 
in  the  two  girls,  but  Mea,  in  her  overflowing  joy 
of  having  found  a  friend,  was  little  troubled  by 
this  at  first.  She  thought  that  all  these  things 
would  come  right  by  and  by  when  they  came 
closer  to  each  other.  She  hoped  that  the  desired 
harmony  would  come  when  they  became  better 
acquainted.  But  the  more  the  two  girls  got  to 
know  know  each  other,  the  deeper  their  differ- 
ences grew,  and  every  attempt  at  a  clear  under- 
standing only  ended  in  a  wider  estrangement. 

Mrs.  Maxa  had  always  tried  to  fill  her  chil- 
dren with  a  contempt  not  only  of  all  wrong,  but 
also  of  low  and  ugly  actions.  She  had  made  an 
effort  to  keep  her  children  from  harmful  in- 
fluences and  to  implant  in  them  a  hate  for  these 
things.  Whenever  Mea  found  Elvira  of  a  dif- 
ferent opinion  in  such  matters,  she  was  assured 

143 


MAZLI 

that  she  was  in  the  right  by  the  mother's  opinion, 
which  coincided  with  her  own;  so  she  felt  as  if 
Elvira  should  be  shown  the  right  way,  too.  When- 
ever this  happened,  Elvira  turned  from  her  and 
told  her  that  she  wanted  to  hear  no  sermons. 

So  the  two  had  not  yet  become  friends,  despite 
the  fact  that  Mea  was  still  hoping  and  wishing  for 
it,  and  her  brother  Kurt  had  proved  himself  in  the 
right  when  he  had  doubted  it  from  the  beginning. 
Since  the  incident  with  Loneli,  when  Mea  had 
told  her  friend  her  opinion  in  perfectly  good 
faith,  Elvira  had  not  spoken  to  her  any  more  and 
had  remained  angry.  But  Mea's  nature  was  not 
inclined  to  sulk.  Whenever  she  felt  herself  in- 
jured, words  of  indignation  poured  out  from  her 
like  fiery  lava  from  a  crater.  After  that  every- 
thing was  settled.  She  had  been  obliged  to  sit 
day  after  day  on  the  same  bench  with  the  sulking 
girl,  and  to  come  to  school  and  leave  again  with- 
out saying  a  word.  Should  this  situation,  which 
had  already  become  intolerable  to  her,  continue 
forever  ?  Mea  could  only  moan  with  this  prospect 
in  view.  She  was  glad  that  Kurt  was  in  a 
strangely  depressed  mood,  too,  and  hardly  ever 
spoke.     He  would  otherwise  have  been  sure  to 

144 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

make  several  horrible  songs  about  her  experiences 
with  the  moping  Elvira. 

Kurt,  who  was  usually  cheerful,  had  been  as 
terribly  depressed  for  the  last  few  days  as  if  he 
had  been  carrying  a  heavy  weight  around  with 
him  all  the  time  He  had  kept  something  from 
his  mother,  and  therefore  the  weight  seemed  to 
get  heavier  and  heavier  It  oppressed  Kurt  more 
than  he  could  say  that  he  had  not  immediately 
confessed  his  fault.  But  how  could  the  mother 
have  believed  him  when  he  told  her  that  he  had 
seen  a  figure  which  could  not  possibly  be  human. 
He  really  felt  like  a  traitor  towards  his  mother. 
All  people  in  Nolla  believed  anew  that  a  ghost 
of  Wildenstein  went  about,  for  the  apparition  had 
actually  been  seen.  Kurt  knew  quite  well  that 
it  was  all  his  fault.  He  hardly  dared  to  look  at 
his  mother  and  he  longed  for  somebody  to  help 
him.  He  was  filled  with  the  craving  to  be 
happy  again. 

Only  Lippo  and  Mazli  pursued  their  usual 
occupations  and  were  untroubled  by  heavy 
thoughts.  As  soon  as  Mazli  noticed  that  the 
usual  cheerfulness  had  departed  from  the  house, 
she  tried  to  get  into  a  different  atmosphere  at 
once.    She  always  knew  a  place  of  refuge  in  such 

10  145 


MAZLI 

a  case.  "  Oh,  mama,  I  have  to  go  and  see  Apol- 
lonie," she  would  repeatedly  say  with  firm  con- 
viction to  her  mother.  Having  the  greatest 
confidence  in  Apollonie's  guarding  hand,  and 
knowing,  besides,  that  Mazli's  visits  always  were 
welcome,  the  mother  often  let  her  youngest  go 
there.  The  little  girl  was  well  able  to  find  her 
way  to  the  cottage  and  always  went  without 
attempting  any  digressions  from  the  path.  In 
the  evening  Loneli  generally  accompanied  her 
home.  Mazli  would  arrive  carrying  a  large  bunch 
of  flowers,  the  inevitable  gift  from  Apollonie. 
Presenting  them  to  her  mother,  she  would  shout : 
"  There  they  are  again,  just  look!  I  have  some 
for  you  again,  mother." 

The  mother  then  looked  full  of  delight  at  the 
bunch  and  said,  "  Yes,  those  are  the  same  lovely 
mignonette  that  used  to  grow  in  the  castle-garden. 
Apollonie  has  transplanted  them  into  her  own. 
But  they  were  much  finer  in  the  castle,  nowhere 
could  their  equal  have  been  found,"  she  concluded, 
inhaling  the  delicious  fragrance  of  the  flowers. 

Mazli  promptly  poked  her  litle  nose  into  the 
bouquet,  uttering  an  exclamation  of  unspeak- 
able delight. 

Loneli's  eyes  were  very  merry  again,  and  she 

146 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

was  full  of  her  usual  gaiety.  Since  Kurt  had 
made  his  little  speech  and  had  rehabilitated 
Loneli's  honour  before  the  school  children,  the 
grandmother  was  as  kind  to  her  as  of  yore  and 
never  mentioned  the  shame-bench  again.  Loneli's 
heart  was  simply  filled  with  gratefulness  for  what 
he  had  done  and  she  often  wished  in  turn  for  an 
opportunity  to  help  him  out  of  some  trouble. 
She  had  noticed  that  Kurt  was  no  longer  the 
merriest  and  most  entertaining  of  the  children, 
and  had  given  up  being  their  leader  in  all  gay 
undertakings.  What  could  be  the  matter? 
Loneli  hated  to  see  him  that  way  and  could  not 
help  pondering  about  this  remarkable  change. 
Being  extremely  observant,  she  had  noticed  that 
it  was  very  hard  to  find  out  the  truth  about  the 
night  expedition  to  the  castle.  All  the  boys'  an- 
swers consisted  in  dark  allusions  to  the  fact  that 
the  ghost  was  wandering  about  Wildenstein  more 
than  ever.  As  not  one  of  them  wanted  to  admit 
the  hasty  retreat  before  the  ghost  had  even  been 
properly  inspected,  they  only  dropped  vague  and 
terrifying  words  about  the  matter. 

Brave  little  Clevi,  who  usually  relished  tell- 
ing of  her  dangerous  adventures  when  they  had 
turned  out  well,  was  as  silent  as  a  mouse  about  it 

147 


MAZLI 

all.  Whenever  Loneli  asked  her  a  straight  ques- 
tion needing  a  straight  answer,  Clevi  ran  away, 
and  Loneli  got  none.  The  report  was  sure  to 
have  some  foundation,  and  the  most  noticeable 
thing  of  all  was  that  Kurt's  change  had  come 
since  that  night.  That  same  day  he  had  taken 
the  load  off  her  heart  and  had  been  so  gay  and 
merry.  So  Loneli  put  two  and  two  together,  and 
having  made  these  observations,  was  filled  with 
sudden  wrath. 

As  soon  as  school  was  ended,  she  rushed  to 
the  astonished  Clevi:  "  Oh,  I  know  what  you  have 
done,  Clevi.  Kurt  was  your  leader  and  you  didn't 
obey  him;  you  all  ran  away  because  you  were 
afraid.    Oh,  you  have  spoiled  it  all  for  him." 

"  Yes,  and  what  about  him?  He  was  afraid 
himself,"  Clevi  cried  out  excitedly,  for  the  re- 
proach had  stung  her.  "  I  could  see  with  what 
terrified  bounds  he  flew  down  the  mountain-side." 

"  Was  he  afraid,  too,  do  you  really  mean? 
But  of  what?  "  Loneli  questioned  further. 

"Of  what?  That  is  easily  said:  of  what! 
You  ought  to  have  seen  that  huge  creature  coming 
towards  us  from  the  castle." 

Since  it  had  come  out  that  they  had  been  so 
frightened,  Clevi  now  told  in  detail  about  the 

148 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

horribly  tall  armoured  knight  with  the  high 
boots  and  the  long  cloak  hanging  down  to 
his  boot-tops. 

"  Was  the  mantle  blue?  "  Loneli,  who  had 
been  listening  intensely,  interrupted. 

"  It  was  night-time,  and  you  can  imagine  we 
did  not  see  the  color  clearly,"  Clevi  said  indig- 
nantly. *'  But  the  color  has  nothing  to  do  with 
it,  it  was  the  length,  the  horrible,  horrible  length 
of  that  thing!  It  looked  just  too  awful.  He 
had  a  high  helmet  on  his  head  besides,  with  a  still 
higher  bunch  of  black  plumes  that  nodded  in 
the  most  frightful  way." 

A  gleam  of  joy  sparkled  in  Loneli's  eyes. 
Flying  away  like  an  arrow,  she  sought  out  Mrs. 
Maxa's  house.  Kurt  was  standing  at  the  haw- 
thorn hedge  in  front  of  the  garden  with  his  school- 
bag  still  slung  around  him.  He  had  not  rushed 
in  ahead  of  the  others  according  to  his  custom. 

With  puckered  brow  he  was  pulling  one  leaf 
after  another  from  the  hedge.  Then  he  flung 
them  all  away,  as  if  he  wanted  with  each  to  rid 
himself  of  a  disagreeable  thought. 

"  Kurt,"  Loneli  called  to  him,  "  please  wait 
a  moment.  Don't  go  in  yet,  for  I  want  to  tell 
you  something." 

149 


MAZLI 

When  Loneli  stood  beside  Kurt  she  was  sud- 
denly filled  with  embarrassment.  She  knew  ex- 
actly what  she  had  to  say,  but  it  would  sound  as 
if  she  was  trying  to  examine  Kurt.  This  kept 
her  from  beginning. 

"  Tell  me  what  you  want,  Loneli,"  Kurt  en- 
couraged her,  when  he  saw  her  hesitation. 

So  Loneli  began: 

"  I  wanted  to  ask  you  if — if — oh,  Kurt ! 
Are  you  so  sad  on  account  of  what  happened  at 
the  castle  and  because  you  thought  there  was 
no  ghost?  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  hear  anything  more  about 
it,"  Kurt  said  evasively,  pulling  a  handful  of 
leaves  from  the  hedge  and  throwing  them  angrily 
to  the  ground. 

"  But  it  might  only  have  been  a  man  after 
all,"  Loneli  continued  quietly. 

"  Yes,  yes,  that  is  easily  said,  Loneli.  How 
can  you  talk  when  you  haven't  even  seen  him?  " 

Kurt  flung  the  last  leaves  away  impatiently 
and  tried  to  go.    But  Loneli  would  not  yield. 

"  Just  wait  a  moment,  Kurt,"  she  entreated. 
"  It  is  true  that  I  did  not  see  him,  but  Clevi  told 
me  all  about  him.  I  know  why  he  looked  that 
way  and  why  he  was  so  enormous.     I  also  know 

150 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

where  he  got  the  armour,  the  long  blue  mantle, 
and  the  high  black  plumes." 

"  What !  "  Kurt  exclaimed,  staring  at  Loneli 
as  if  she  were  a  curious  ghost  herself.  How  can 
you  know  anything  about  it?  " 

"  Certainly  I  know  about  it,"  Loneli  assured 
him.  "  Listen!  You  must  remember  that  grand- 
mother lived  a  long  time  at  the  castle,  so  she  has 
told  me  everything  that  went  on  up  there  In 
the  lowest  story  there  is  a  huge  old  hall,  and  the 
walls  are  covered  with  weapons  and  things  like 
armour  and  helmets.  In  one  corner  there  is  an 
armoured  knight  with  a  black-plumed  helmet  on 
his  head.  Whenever  the  young  gentlemen  from 
the  castle  wanted  to  play  a  special  prank,  one 
of  them  would  take  the  knight  on  his  shoulders, 
and  the  knightly  long  mantle  would  be  hung  over 
his  shoulders  so  as  to  cover  him  down  to  his  high 
boot-tops.  This  figure  looked  so  terrible  coming 
along  the  terrace  that  everybody  always  ran 
away,  even  in  bright  daylight.  Once  the  two 
young  ladies  shrieked  loudly  when  they  suddenly 
saw  the  fearful  knight.  That  pleased  the  young 
gentlemen  more  than  anything." 

"  Oh,  then  my  mother  saw  him,  too,  and  knows 
what   he   looks   like,"    Kurt   exclaimed   with   a 

151 


MAZLI 

sudden  start,  forhehadbeen  breathlessly  listening. 

"  Certainly,  for  she  was  one  of  the  young 
ladies,"  Loneli  said. 

"  But  now  nobody  is  at  the  castle  except  Mr. 
Trius,  and  he  couldn't  have  been  there,"  Kurt 
objected.  "  I  know  that  he  sneaks  about  the 
meadows  till  late  in  the  evening  in  order  to  catch 
apple-thieves.  That  is  so  far  from  the  little  woods 
that  he  could  not  possibly  have  heard  us." 

"  But  it  was  Mr.  Trius  just  the  same,  you  can 
believe  me,  Kurt,"  Loneli  assured  her  friend. 
"  My  grandmother  has  often  said  that  Mr.  Trius 
always  knows  everything  that  is  going  on.  He 
seems  to  hide  behind  the  hedges  and  then  suddenly 
comes  out  from  behind  the  trees  when  one  least 
expects  him.  You  know  that  the  boys  have 
known  about  your  plan  several  days  and  that 
they  don't  always  talk  in  a  low  voice.  Besides, 
they  have  been  trying  to  get  hold  of  apples  every 
night.  You  can  be  sure  that  Mr.  Trius  heard 
distinctly  what  your  plan  was." 

"  Yes,  that  is  true,  but  I  have  to  go  to  mother 
now,"  Kurt  exclaimed,  as  he  started  toward  the 
house.  Then,  turning  back  once  more,  he  said: 
"  Thank  you  ever  so  much,  Loneli,  you  have  done 
me  a  greater  service  than  you  can  realize  by 

152 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

telling  me  everything.  Nothing  could  have  made 
me  happier  than  what  you  have  said."  As  he 
spoke  these  words  he  shook  the  little  girl's  hand 
with  all  his  might. 

The  boy  ran  into  the  house,  while  Loneli 
hastened  home  with  leaps  and  bounds,  for  her 
heart  was  thrilling  with  great  joy. 

"  Where  is  mother,  where  is  mother? "  Kurt 
impetuously  asked  Lippo,  whom  he  met  in  the 
hall  carrying  a  large  water-pitcher  entrusted  to 
him  by  Kathy. 

"  One  knows  well  enough  where  mama  must 
be  when  it  is  nearly  lunch-time.  You  came  home 
late  from  school,"  Lippo  answered,  carefully  trot- 
ting away  with  his  fragile  burden. 

"  Yes,  I  did,  you  little  sentinel  of  good  order," 
Kurt  laughed  out,  passing  Lippo  in  order  to  has- 
ten to  the  dining-room. 

Now  Kurt  could  laugh  again. 

"  Oh,  are  you  as  far  as  that  already,"  he  cried 
out  in  surprise  when  he  found  everybody  settling 
down  to  lunch.  "  What  a  shame!  I  wanted  to 
tell  you  something,  mother." 

She  gazed  at  him  questioningly.  He  had  not 
had  any  urgent  news  for  her  lately,  and  she  was 

153 


MAZLI 

glad  to  hear  his  clear  voice  and  see  his  merry 
eyes  again. 

'  You  must  wait  now  till  after  lunch,  Kurt," 
she  said  kindly, "  for  you  were  rather  late  to-day." 

"  Yes,  I  was  rather  slow  at  first,"  Kurt  in- 
formed her.  "  Then  Loneli  ran  after  me  to  tell 
me  something  she  has  found  out.  I  have  often 
said  before  that  Loneli  is  the  most  clever  child  in 
all  Nolla,  besides  being  the  most  friendly  and 
obliging  one  could  possibly  find.  Even  if  she  is 
only  brought  up  by  simple  Apollonie,  she  is  more 
refined  at  bottom  than  a  girl  I  know  who  adorns 
her  outside  with  the  most  beautiful  ribbons  and 
flowers.  I  would  rather  have  a  single  Loneli 
than  a  thousand  Elviras." 

Lippo  had  been  anxiously  looking  at  Kurt 
for  some  time. 

"  Here  come  the  beans  and  you  have  your 
plate  still  full  of  soup,"  he  said  excitedly. 

"  Kurt,  I  think  that  it  would  be  better  for  you 
to  eat  your  soup  instead  of  uttering  such  strange 
speeches.  Besides,  we  all  agree  with  you  about 
Loneli.  I  think  that  she  is  an  unusually  nice  and 
sympathetic  child." 

"  Oh,  Kurt,"  the  observant  little  Mazli  ex- 
claimed, "  do  you  have  to  talk  so  much  all  at  once 

154 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

because  you  talked  so  little  yesterday,  the  day 
before  yesterday  and  the  day  before  that?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  exact  reason,  Mazli,"  Kurt 
said  with  a  laugh.  His  soup  was  soon  eaten,  for 
his  spirits  had  fully  come  back  now,  and  in  the 
shortest  time  he  had  emptied  his  plate. 

Kurt  was  only  able  to  get  his  mother  to  him- 
self after  school.  The  elder  children  were  busy 
at  that  time  and  the  two  little  ones  had  taken  a 
walk  to  Apollonie.  His  mother,  having  clearly 
understood  his  wish  to  have  a  thorough  talk  with 
her,  had  reserved  this  quiet  hour  for  him.  Kurt 
made  an  honest  confession  of  his  disobedience 
without  once  excusing  himself  by  saying  that  he 
had  only  done  it  to  destroy  all  foolish  superstition 
and  by  this  means  to  become  her  helper.  He 
could  therefore  tell  her  without  reserve  how  ter- 
ribly he  had  been  cast  down  the  last  few  days. 
The  weight  had  been  very  heavy  on  his  heart 
before  his  confession,  because  he  had  been  so 
ashamed  of  the  miserable  end  of  the  undertaking. 
He  had,  moreover,  been  very  much  afraid  that  she 
would  tell  him  that  no  ghost  of  Wildenstein  ex- 
isted, after  he  himself  had  seen  the  incredible 
apparition.  What  Loneli  had  told  him  had  re- 
lieved him  immensely.    Now  his  mother,  who  had 

155 


MAZLl 

seen  the  terrible  sight  herself,  could  understand 
his  fright. 

"  Oh,  little  mother,  I  hope  you  are  not  angry 
with  me  any  more,"  Kurt  begged  her  heartily. 
"  I  shall  never  do  anything  any  more  you  don't 
want  me  to,  for  I  know  now  what  it  feels  like.  I 
know  that  this  was  my  punishment  for  doing  what 
you  had  forbidden  me  to  do." 

When  his  mother  saw  that  Kurt  had  realized 
his  mistake  and  had  humbly  borne  the  punish- 
ment, she  did  not  scold  him  any  further.  She 
confirmed  everything  Loneli  had  told  him  about 
the  knight.  She  also  agreed  with  the  little  girl 
that  the  watchful  Mr.  Trius  had  probably  dis- 
covered long  ago  what  Kurt  had  planned  to  do 
that  night.  With  the  horrible  apparition  he  had 
probably  meant  to  punish  and  banish  the  boys 
for  good. 

"  Oh,  Kurt,"  the  mother  concluded,  "  I  hope 
I  can  rely  on  you  from  now  on  not  to  have  any- 
thing more  to  do  with  the  matter  of  the  fabulous 
ghost  of  Wildenstein." 

Kurt  could  give  his  honest  promise,  for  he  had 
enough  of  his  endeavour  to  prove  the  non-exist- 
ence of  the  ghost.  It  put  him  into  the  best  spirits 
that  there  had  been  nothing  supernatural  about 

156 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

it,  and  that  he  was  able  again  to  talk  with  his 
mother  as  before.  With  a  loud  and  jubilant  song 
he  joined  his  brothers  and  sisters. 

Mrs.  Maxa  was  also  very  happy  that  Kurt 
had  regained  his  cheerfulness.  What  met  her 
ears  now,  though,  was  not  Kurt's  singing,  but 
loud  cries  of  delight.  Opening  the  door,  she  dis- 
tinguished the  well-known  calls  of  "  Uncle  Philip, 
Uncle  Philip !  "  So  her  longed-for  brother  was 
near  at  last.  Her  two  little  ones,  who  had  met 
with  him  on  their  stroll  home,  were  bringing  him 
along.  All  five  children  shouted  loudly  in  order 
to  let  their  uncle  know  how  welcome  he  was. 

"  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  that  you  have  come  at 
last!  Welcome,  Philip!  Please  come  in,"  Mrs. 
Maxa  called  out  to  him. 

"  I'll  come  as  soon  as  it  is  possible,"  he  replied, 
breathing  heavily.  He  held  a  child  with  each 
hand,  and  three  were  between  his  feet,  all  wel- 
coming him  tumultuously,  so  that  for  the  moment 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  move  forward. 

Gradually  the  whole  knot  moved  into  the 
house  and  towards  the  uncle's  armchair.  Here 
ten  busy  hands  fastened  him  down  so  that  he 
should  not  at  once  get  away. 

"You  rascals,  you!"  the  uncle  said,  quite 
157 


MAZLI 

exhausted.  "A  man  is  lucky  to  escape  from  you 
with  his  life.  Are  you  trying  to  throttle  your 
godfather,  Lippo?  Whoever  put  two  fat  little 
arms  about  a  godfather's  neck  like  that?  You 
seem  to  have  climbed  the  chair  from  behind  and 
to  have  only  your  foot  on  the  arm  of  the  chair. 
If  you  slip,  I  shall  be  strangled.  Who  then  will 
find  out  for  whom  I  brought  a  harmonica  that's 
buried  in  the  depths  of  my  coat-pocket?  It  gives 
forth  the  most  beautiful  melodies  you  ever  heard, 
when  you  have  learned  to  play  it." 

A  harmonica  was  the  most  wonderful  thing 
Lippo  could  imagine.  His  neighbor  in  school, 
a  little  girl  called  Toneli,  owned  one  and  could 
play  whole  songs  on  it— he  had  always  thought  it 
splendid.  If  a  harmonica  was  really  destined  for 
him,  he  had  better  let  go  his  uncle's  arm. 

Uncle  Philip  dove  into  his  deep  pockets  with 
both  hands,  and  soon  the  wonderful,  coveted 
object  really  came  to  light.  And  how  much  big- 
ger and  finer  it  was  than  Toneli's  little  instru- 
ment. Such  a  one  must  be  able  to  sound  the 
loveliest  tones.  Lippo,  holding  his  treasure  in 
his  hand,  could  hardly  believe  it  to  be  his  own 
property,    but    Uncle    Philip    reassured    him, 

158 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

saying:  "  Come,  Lippo,  take  it,  the  harmonica  is 
meant  for  you." 

There  were  presents  for  all  the  children  in  the 
depths  of  the  pockets,  and  one  child  after  another 
ran  away  to  show  his  gift  to  his  mother.  Lippo 
saw  and  heard  nothing  else  just  then.  In  expec- 
tation of  the  melodies  which  would  well  up  he 
blew  with  all  his  might  quite  horrible,  ear-shatter- 
ing sounds. 

"  Lippo,  you  must  learn  how  to  play  a  little 
first.  Everything  has  to  be  learned.  Give  it  to 
me,"  said  Uncle  Philip;  "you  see  you  must  do 
this  way."  Setting  the  instrument  to  his  lips  and 
pushing  it  up  and  down,  he  played  the  merriest 
tunes.  Lippo  looked  up  in  speechless  admiration 
at  his  god-father.  He  was  tremendously  im- 
pressed that  Uncle  Philip  could  do  everything, 
even  blow  a  harmonica,  which  generally  only  boys 
were  able  to  do.  How  fine  it  sounded!  He  was 
sure  that  nobody  else  could  bring  forth  such 
beautiful  melodies. 

Lippo  was  interrupted  by  his  brothers  and 
sisters,  who  were  noisily  announcing  supper.  So 
Uncle  Philip  was  taken  in  their  midst  into  the 
dining-room,  and  he  might  have  been  likened  to  a 

159 


MAZLI 

prisoner-of-war  captured  by  the  victors  amidst 
shouts  of  triumph. 

The  mother  had  purposely  ordered  supper  a 
little  early,  and  she  noticed  that  her  brother  was 
satisfied  with  the  arrangement.  If  his  intention 
had  been  to  shorten  the  time  he  could  have  with 
the  children,  he  had  no  intention  of  cheating  them 
of  amusement,  and  he  told  them  so  many  enter- 
taining things  that  they  felt  they  had  never  had  a 
better  time  with  him.  At  last,  however,  it  was 
quiet  in  the  living-room.  Uncle  Philip  was  sit- 
ting there  alone,  waiting  for  his  sister,  who  had 
gone  upstairs  with  the  children. 

"  First  of  all,  Philip,"  she  said  on  her  return, 
as  she  settled  down  beside  him,  "  what  shall  be 
done  with  Bruno?  I  am  sure  you  told  Mr.  Knip- 
pel  not  to  engage  board  and  lodging  for  him." 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  gave  him  full  power  to 
do  so,"  the  brother  replied.  "  Mr.  Knippel  gave 
me  the  impression  that  you  would  agree  to  it  and 
would  be  very  grateful  if  he  took  the  matter  in 
hand,  so  I  thought  that  that  would  be  the  simplest 
way  out.  It  won't  be  so  very  terrible  if  the  boys 
live  together.  Don't  always  imagine  the  worst. 
But  I  must  tell  you  something  else." 

Uncle  Philip  seemed  to  be  rather  glad  to  pass 
160 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

quickly  over  the  hard  problem.  He  guessed  in 
fact  that  his  communication  would  cause  his  sister 
great  consternation.  And  he  had  guessed  rightly. 
In  her  fright  over  his  first  words  she  had  not  even 
heard  the  last. 

"  How  could  you  do  such  a  thing,"  she  began 
to  complain.  "  I  can  see  quite  clearly  what  will 
happen  without  unduly  imagining  anything.  The 
low  nature  and  character  of  the  two  boys  rouses 
Bruno's  ire,  and  he  constantly  flies  into  a  rage 
when  he  is  with  them.  It  is  my  greatest  sorrow 
that  he  can't  control  himself.  What  on  earth  will 
happen  if  the  three  are  compelled  to  be  together 
daily,  nay  constantly,  and  will  even  live  together. 
The  matter  frightens  me  more  than  you  can  real- 
ize, Philip,  and  now  you  have  made  it  impossible 
for  me  to  change  the  plan." 

"  But,  Maxa,  can't  you  see  that  I  could  not 
act  otherwise.  Mr.  Knippel  was  terribly  anxious 
to  arrange  it  all,  and  you  know  how  quickly  he 
is  offended.  He  always  imagines  that  his  low 
birth  is  in  his  way,  for  he  cannot  understand  our 
utter  indifference  to  all  the  money  he  has  heaped 
up.  You  must  not  be  so  anxious  about  it.  It 
can't  possibly  last  very  long,"  the  brother  con- 
soled her.     "  There  is  sure  to  be  a  violent  quarrel 

11  161 


MAZLI 

between  them  soon,  and  as  soon  as  that  happens, 
I  promise  to  take  the  matter  in  hand.  That  will 
give  us  good  grounds  to  separate  them." 

The  prospect  of  a  horrible  fight  was,  however, 
no  consolation  to  Mrs.  Maxa.  But  she  said  noth- 
ing more  for  the  matter  was  irrevocably  settled. 

"  I  have  to  tell  you  something  now  which  will 
put  you  into  a  happier  mood,"  he  began,  clearly 
relieved  that  his  unpleasant  communication  had 
been  made.  "  Yesterday  evening  the  two  ladies 
from  Hanover  who  were  my  travelling  compan- 
ions some  time  ago  came  to  me  to  ask  my  advice 
about  something  which  troubled  them  very  much. 
They  have  received  an  urgent  call  to  return  home 
to  their  aged  mother,  who  has  fallen  very  ill  and 
has  asked  to  see  them.  The  little  girl  who  is  in 
their  care,  however,  has  been  so  sick  for  a  few 
days  that  they  had  to  call  the  doctor.  They  sum- 
moned him  again  yesterday  in  order  to  consult 
him  as  to  whether  there  might  be  danger  if  the 
child  travelled.  He  told  them  positively  that 
they  could  not  think  of  letting  her  go  now,  and 
that  she  might  not  be  able  to  go  for  weeks.  A 
slow  fever  showed  that  she  was  on  the  point  of 
serious  illness,  which  would  not  quickly  pass. 
The  ladies  were  extremely  frightened  and  told 

162 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

the  doctor  their  dilemma,  for  they  were  both  abso- 
lutely compelled  to  leave.  One  of  them  might  be 
able  to  return  in  about  two  weeks,  but  they  had 
to  find  a  reliable  person  in  the  meantime  who 
could  nurse  the  child.  This  was  terribly  difficult 
for  them  as  strangers.  The  doctor's  advice  was 
to  bring  the  young  invalid  to  the  hospital  in  Sils, 
where  she  would  be  well  taken  care  of  and  he 
could  see  her  every  day.  The  ladies  wanted  my 
opinion  before  deciding.  They  realize  that  doc- 
tors always  favor  hospitals  because  the  care  of 
their  patients  is  made  simple  and  easy,  so  they 
wondered  if  I  advised  them  to  have  the  young 
girl  sent  there.  I  told  them  that  the  place  was 
not  at  all  badly  equipped,  but  that  it  was  rather 
small,  and  the  patients  were  of  course  very  mixed. 
When  I  asked  the  ladies  if  it  would  not  be 
better  if  the  child's  parents  decided  that  difficult 
question,  I  received  the  information  that  Leonore 
von  Wallerstatten  was  an  orphan  and  that  the 
aunt  who  had  put  her  in  their  care  had  also  died." 
"  Oh,  Philip,  now  there  is  no  doubt  any  more 
that  she  is  our  Leonore's  little  daughter,"  Mrs. 
Maxa  cried  in  the  greatest  agitation.  "  Oh, 
Philip,  how  could  you  ever  advise  them  to  send 
her  to  the  hospital?    Why  didn't  you  say  right 

163 


MAZLI 

away  that  your  sister  would  immediately  take 
the  child  into  her  house." 

"  How  could  I  do  that?  Just  think  a  mo- 
ment, Maxa!  "  said  the  brother.  "  Did  you  want 
me  to  add  to  your  troubles  and  anxieties  by  bring- 
ing a  patient  sick  with  fever  into  your  house?  It 
might  turn  out  to  be  a  dangerous  illness,  which  all 
your  five  might  catch ;  what  should  you  have  said 
to  me  then? " 

"  Philip,  I  shall  go  to  Sils  with  you  to-morrow 
and  I'll  ask  you  to  take  me  to  the  ladies.  I  want 
them  to  know  who  I  am,  of  course.  I  shall  tell 
them  that  I  have  the  right  as  her  mother's  nearest 
friend  to  receive  Leonore  into  my  house  and  to 
nurse  her.  I  am  sure  that  the  little  patient  can 
take  the  trip  in  your  closed  carriage.  You  can 
quickly  go  to  the  doctor  to  tell  him  of  our  plan 
and  have  the  carriage  sent  to  us.  Please  do  this 
for  me,  Philip!  I  can't  stand  that  the  child  of 
our  Leonore  should  go  to  a  strange  hospital  all 
by  herself." 

Mrs.  Maxa  had  spoken  with  such  decision 
that  her  brother  had  listened  to  her  in  great- 
est surprise. 

"So  you  have  resolved  to  carry  this  through, 

ixa?   Are  you  sure  that  you  won't  have  to  take 

164 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

it  all  back  after  your  excitement  has  vanished? " 
he  asked  her. 

"  You  can  rely  on  me,  Philip.  I  have  abso- 
lutely made  up  my  mind  to  do  it,"  the  sister 
assured  him.  "  You  must  help  me  now  to  put  it 
through.  I  shall  be  able  to  take  care  of  things 
when  she  gets  here,  but  do  all  in  your  power  to 
prevent  the  ladies  from  putting  obstacles  in  my 
path.     You  see,  I  do  not  even  know  them." 

"  I  shall  do  whatever  you  wish,"  the  listener 
said  willingly.  "  It  certainly  is  hard  to  tell  where 
a  woman  will  set  up  complaints  and  where  she  will 
suddenly  not  know  either  fear  or  obstacles!  I 
have  already  told  the  two  Miss  Remkes  about 
you.  As  soon  as  I  knew  the  child's  name,  I 
realized  the  situation.  I  told  the  ladies  about 
your  being  the  best  friend  of  their  charge's 
mother,  and  that  you  would  surely  go  to  see  her 
now  and  then  in  the  hospital.  This  pleased 
them  greatly." 

Uncle  Philip  began  now  to  lay  minute  plans 
for  the  morrow.  His  sister  had  to  give  her  prom- 
ise to  be  ready  very  early  in  order  to  reach  Sils 
in  good  time,  for  the  patient  was  to  be  taken  to 
the  hospital  in  the  course  of  the  forenoon.     He 

165 


MAZLI 

also  gave  her  all  the  needed  instructions  relating 
to  the  coachman  and  the  carriage. 

She  listened  quietly  till  he  had  finished  and 
then  said,  "  I  have  some  news  for  you,  too.  Just 
think !  Baron  Bruno  has  come  back.  He  arrived 
in  the  middle  of  the  night  when  nobody  could  see 
him.  He  is  absolutely  alone  now  in  the  desolate 
castle.  Just  imagine  how  he  must  feel  to  be 
within  those  walls  again  where  he  spent  his  happy 
years  with  all  those  loved  ones  he  has  not  seen 
since  he  left  the  castle  in  a  fit  of  terror" 

"Yes,  and  why  did  it  happen?  Wasn't 
it  his  own  will? "  the  brother  said  harshly. 
"  Whenever  you  speak  about  him,  your  voice 
takes  on  a  tone  as  if  you  were  speaking  about  a 
misunderstood  angel.  Why  did  the  raging  lion 
come  back  all  of  a  sudden?  " 

"  Please,  Philip,  don't  be  so  hard!  "  his  sister 
said.  "  He  is  entirely  left  alone  now.  Is  sorrow 
easier  to  bear  when  it  is  our  own  doing?  I  heard 
that  he  was  ill.  That  is  probably  the  reason  why 
he  has  come  home.  I  know  all  this  from  Apol- 
lonie,  who  is  in  communication  with  Mr.  Trius. 
She  keeps  on  scheming  to  find  a  way  to  set  the 
rooms  in  order  for  her  young  master,  as  she  still 
calls  him.    She  knows  how  his  mother  would  wish 

166 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

everything  to  be  for  her  son.  I  understand  quite 
well  that  she  worries  night  and  day  about  the 
state  things  are  in  at  the  castle.  Her  former 
master  has  for  nurse,  servant,  cook  and  valet  only 
that  peculiar  and  ancient  Mr.  Trius.  She  can 
hardly  think  about  it  without  wishing  that  she 
might  do  something  for  her  old  friend.  The  poor 
woman  is  so  anxious  to  make  his  life  at  the  castle 
a  little  more  the  way  it  used  to  be  in  the  old  times." 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  Maxa,  I  hope  you  are 
not  trying  to  interfere.  Do  you  intend  to  under- 
take that,  too?  "  the  brother  exclaimed  in  pertur- 
bation. "  If  he  wanted  things  different,  he  cer- 
tainly would  find  a  way.  Please  have  nothing  to 
do  with  it,  otherwise  you'll  be  sorry." 

"  You  can  be  perfectly  reassured,  for  unfor- 
tunately nothing  whatever  can  be  done,"  Mrs. 
Maxa  replied.  "  If  I  had  known  a  way  to  do 
something  for  him,  I  should  have  done  it.  My 
great  wish  is  to  let  a  little  sunshine  into  the  closed 
up,  sombre  rooms,  and  may  be  even  a  little  deeper. 
I  had  great  hopes  of  doing  something  through 
Apollonie,  who  knows  so  much  about  the  castle, 
but  she  has  explained  the  state  of  affairs  to  me. 
She  was  going  to  enter  and  take  things  in  hand 
as  soon  as  she  heard  from  Mr.  Trius  that  her  mas- 

167 


MAZLI 

ter  had  returned,  for  she  still  considers  herself 
his  servant  as  in  times  gone  by.  It  was  her  inten- 
tion, naturally,  to  put  everything  into  the  usual 
order  in  the  house.  But  Mr.  Trius  won't  even 
let  her  go  into  the  garden.  He  let  her  know  that 
he  had  received  orders  not  to  let  anyone  into  the 
place.  His  master  knew  no  one  here  and  had 
no  intention  of  meeting  anyone.  I  know  quite 
well,  therefore,  that  I  shall  be  unable  to  gratify 
my  great  desire  of  doing  something  for  that  mis- 
erable, lonely  man." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  the  brother  said,  quite 
relieved.  "  I  am  glad  that  the  villain  has  bolted 
you  out  himself.  If  I  should  have  tried  to  keep 
you  out,  you  certainly  would  have  found  means  to 
resist  me,  I  know." 

"  I  willingly  admit  it,"  Mrs.  Maxa  replied 
with  a  smile.  "  But  Philip,  I  should  consider  it 
wise  for  us  to  go  to  bed  now,  if  we  have  to  make 
an  early  start  to  Sils  to-morrow." 

Brother  and  sister  separated,  but  Mrs.  Maxa 
had  many  arrangements  to  make  before  she  came 
to  rest.  If  the  ladies  would  consent  to  put  the 
little  girl  in  her  charge,  she  meant  to  bring  her 
immediately  home  with  her.  Therefore  every- 
thing had  to  be  made  ready  for  the  little  patient. 

168 


OPPRESSIVE  AIR 

About  midnight  Mrs.  Maxa  still  went  to  and  fro 
in  a  bedroom  on  the  top  floor,  which  was  entirely 
isolated.  When  everything  necessary  had  been 
made  ready,  she  tried  to  place  various  embellish- 
ments in  the  little  chamber.  Finally  she  placed 
in  the  middle  of  the  table  a  round  bowl,  which 
was  to  be  filled  to-morrow  with  the  most  beautiful 
roses  from  her  garden.  Mrs.  Maxa  wanted  the 
child  of  her  adored  Leonore  to  receive  a  pleasant 
impression  from  her  room  in  the  strange  new 
house.  When  the  morning  sun  would  shine  in 
through  the  open  windows  and  the  green  slope  of 
the  castle  would  send  its  greeting  to  her,  she  did 
not  want  little  Leonore  to  feel  dissatisfied  with 
her  new  quarters.  With  this  thought  Mrs.  Maxa 
happily  closed  the  door  of  the  room  behind  her 
and  sought  out  her  own  chamber. 


CHAPTER  VI 
NEW  FRIENDS 

EARLY  next  morning  brother  and  sister 
started  towards  the  valley.  Before  going 
Mrs.  Maxa  had  given  her  orders  and  had 
arranged  for  Mazli  to  spend  the  day  with  Apol- 
lonie,  in  order  to  prevent  her  from  getting  into 
mischief.  As  it  was  a  sunshiny  morning  and  the 
paths  were  dry,  walking  was  delightful.  The 
distance  they  had  to  traverse  occupied  about  two 
hours,  but  it  did  not  seem  long.  As  soon  as 
brother  and  sister  arrived  in  Sils,  they  went  to  see 
the  two  Misses  Remke.  Both  ladies  were  kneeling 
before  a  large  trunk,  surrounded  by  heaps  of 
clothes,  shoes,  books  and  boxes,  and  a  hundred 
trifles  besides.  When  the  visitors  arrived,  they 
immediately  stood  before  the  open  door  of  the 
room  used  for  packing. 

Mrs.  Maxa's  first  impulse  was  to  withdraw 
with  an  excuse,  but  the  ladies  had  jumped  up 
already  and  most  cordially  greeted  their  kind 
friend,  Mr  Falcon,  whom  they  called  their  helper 
and  saviour  in  all  difficulties.    They  received  his 

170 


NEW  FRIENDS 

sister  joyfully,  too,  for  they  had  been  most  eager 
to  know  her.  Both  ladies  regretted  that  their 
meeting  had  to  take  place  in  a  moment  when  their 
house  appeared  in  its  most  unfavorable  light. 
Mrs.  Maxa  assured  them,  however,  that  she 
understood  the  preparations  for  their  impending 
trip  and  said  that  she  would  not  disturb  them 
longer  than  was  necessary.  She  intended,  there- 
fore, to  voice  her  request  immediately.  Mr. 
Falcon,  steering  straight  for  some  chairs  he  had 
discovered,  brought  them  for  the  ladies  despite  all 
the  assorted  objects  on  the  floor.  Mrs.  Maxa 
spoke  of  her  intention  of  taking  the  child  to  her 
house  and  her  sincere  hope  that  there  would  be 
no  objection  and  the  ladies  could  feel  their  visi- 
tor's great  eagerness  manifested  in  her  words. 
They  on  their  part  did  not  hide  the  great  relief 
which  this  prospect  gave  them  and  were  ex- 
tremely glad  to  leave  their  young  charge  in  such 
good  hands. 

"  It  has  been  very  hard  for  us  to  decide  to 
leave  Leonore  behind,"  one  of  them  said.  "  Un- 
fortunately we  must  go,  and  she  is  not  able  to 
travel.  But  as  long  as  our  plans  seem  to  coincide 
so  well,  I  shall  ask  you  if  it  would  be  inconvenient 
to  you  if  we  put  off  the  date  of  our  return  a  week 

171 


MAZLI 

longer.  You  must  realize  that  we  are  taking 
the  journey  for  the  sake  of  our  sick  mother,  and 
that  everything  is  uncertain  in  such  a  case.  One 
can  never  tell  what  change  may  come,  and  we 
might  wish  to  stay  a  little  longer." 

Mrs.  Maxa  hastened  to  assure  them  that  noth- 
ing could  suit  her  better  than  to  keep  Leonore 
in  her  house  for  several  weeks  and  she  promised 
to  send  frequent  news  about  the  little  girl's  state 
of  health.  She  begged  them  not  to  be  anxious 
about  her  and  not  to  hurry  back  for  Leonore's 
sake.  As  she  was  longing  to  see  the  child  instead 
of  remaining  in  their  way,  she  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  greet  Leonore.  She  was  sure  that  her 
brother,  who  had  already  risen,  also  wanted  to 
take  his  leave.  As  soon  as  he  had  seen  how  com- 
pletely the  ladies  entered  into  his  sister's  plans, 
he  wished  to  arrange  the  details  and  so  said  that 
he  was  now  going  to  the  doctor  in  order  to  get  his 
permission  for  the  little  trip.  After  obtaining 
this,  as  he  sincerely  hoped  to  do,  he  would  pre- 
pare the  carriage  and  send  it  directly  to  the  house, 
as  it  was  important  for  the  patient  to  make  the 
journey  during  the  best  portion  of  the  day. 
Thereupon  he  hastened  off. 

One  of  the  ladies  took  Mrs.  Maxa  to  the  sick 
172 


NEW  FRIENDS 

room,  which  was  situated  in  the  uppermost  story. 

"  You  won't  find  Leonore  alone,"  she  said, 
"  her  brother  is  with  her.  He  is  taking  a  trip 
through  Switzerland  with  his  teacher  and  some 
friends,  and  came  here  ahead  of  them  in  order  to 
see  his  sister.  His  travelling  companions  will 
join  him  here  to-morrow,  and  then  they  are  all 
going  back  to  Germany." 

"  I  fear  that  the  poor  boy  will  lose  his  day 
with  his  sister  if  I  take  her  with  me,"  Mrs.  Maxa 
said  regretfully. 

"  Well,  that  can't  be  altered,"  the  lady  quickly 
replied.  "  We  are  all  only  too  happy  that  you 
are  willing  to  take  Leonore  into  your  house.  Who 
knows  how  her  stay  in  the  hospital  might  have 
turned  out?  Poor  Leonore  was  so  frightened  by 
the  thought ;  but  we  knew  no  other  way.  It  does 
not  matter  about  her  brother's  visit,  because  they 
can  see  each  other  again  in  Hanover,  for  he  is  at 
a  boarding  school  there." 

The  lady  now  opened  a  door  and  led  Mrs. 
Maxa  into  a  room. 

"  Leonore,  look,  here  is  Mrs.  Bergmann,  a 
great  friend  of  your  mother's."  Miss  Remke  said, 
"  and  I  am  sure  you  will  be  glad  of  the  news  she 
is  bringing  you.     I  shall  accept  your  kind  permis- 

173 


MAZLI 

sion  to  get  back  to  my  work  now,  Mrs.  Bergmann. 
Everything  is  ready  for  Leonore,  because  she  was 
to  leave  for  the  hospital  very  shortly." 

With  these  words  she  went  out.  The  sick 
child  sat  completely  dressed  on  a  bed  in  the  corner 
of  the  room,  half  reclining  on  the  pillows. 

Mrs.  Maxa  had  to  agree  with  her  brother  who 
had  said  that  she  had  her  mother's  large,  speaking 
eyes,  the  same  soft  brown  curls,  and  the  same 
serious  expression  on  her  delicately  shaped  little 
face.  Mrs.  Maxa  would  have  easily  recognized 
the  child  even  without  knowing  her  name. 
Leonore  only  looked  more  serious  still;  in  fact, 
her  glance  was  extremely  sad  and  at  that  moment 
tears  were  hanging  on  her  lashes,  for  she  had  been 
crying.  The  boy  sitting  by  her  got  up  and  made 
a  bow  to  the  new  arrival.  He  had  his  father's 
gay  blue  eyes  and  his  clear,  open  brow.  After 
giving  him  her  hand  Mrs.  Maxa  stepped  up  to  the 
bed  to  greet  Leonore  and  was  so  deeply  moved 
that  she  could  barely  speak. 

"  My  dear  child,"  she  said,  seizing  both  slen- 
der hands,  "  you  resemble  your  mother  so  much 
that  I  have  to  greet  you  as  my  own  beloved  child. 
I  loved  her  very  much  and  we  meant  a  great  deal 
to  each  other.     You  remind  me  of  both  your 

174 


NEW  FRIENDS 

father  and  mother,  Salo.  What  happiness  my 
friendship  with  your  parents  has  brought  me !  I 
want  you  both  to  be  my  children  now,  for  your 
parents  were  the  best  friends  I  ever  had  in 
the  world." 

This  speech  apparently  met  a  response  in  the 
two  children's  hearts.  As  answer  Leonore  took 
Mrs.  Maxa's  hand  and  held  it  tight  between  her 
own,  and  Salo  came  close  to  her  to  show  what  con- 
fidence he  felt.  Then  he  said  joyfully:  "  Oh,  I 
am  so  glad  that  you  have  come ;  you  must  help  me 
comfort  Leonore.  She  is  terribly  afraid  of  the 
hospital  and  all  the  strange  people  there.  She 
even  imagines  that  she  will  die  there  alone  and 
forsaken  and  was  crying  because  she  thinks  that 
we  won't  see  each  other  again  I  have  to  go  so 
far  away  and  I  can't  help  it.  To-morrow  they 
are  coming  to  fetch  me  and  then  I  have  to  go  back 
to  school.    What  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  As  to  that,"  Mrs.  Maxa  replied,  "  nothing 
can  be  done.  But  if  Leonore  has  to  spend  a  little 
while  in  the  hospital,  she  won't  be  an  absolute 
stranger  there.  I  won't  let  you  be  lonely  for  I 
shall  often  go  to  see  you,  dear  child,  and  it  is  not 
even  quite  certain  that  you  have  to  go  there." 

"  Oh,  yes,  they  are  going  to  take  me  there  this 
175 


MAZLI 

morning,  maybe  quite  soon,"  said  Leonore.  Lis- 
tening anxiously,  she  again  grasped  Mrs.  Maxa's 
hand  as  if  it  were  her  safety  anchor. 

Mrs.  Maxa  did  not  gainsay  her,  because  she 
did  not  yet  know  what  the  doctor  might  decide. 
All  she  could  do  to  calm  Leonore  was  to  tell  her 
that  she  was  not  dangerously  ill.  She  might  re- 
cover very  quickly  if  she  only  stayed  quiet  for  a 
while.  In  that  case  she  could  soon  see  her  brother 
again,  for  the  ladies  had  promised  to  take  her 
home  as  soon  as  she  was  well. 

Mrs.  Maxa  had  hardly  said  that  when  Leo- 
nore's  eyes  again  began  to  fill  with  tears. 

"  But  I  don't  feel  at  home  there.  We  really 
have  no  home  anywhere,"  she  said  with  sup- 
pressed sobs. 

"  Yes,  it  is  true ;  we  have  no  home  anywhere," 
Salo  exclaimed  passionately.  "  But,  Leonore, 
you  must  have  faith  in  me !  "  Fighting  against 
his  rising  agitation,  he  quickly  wiped  away  a  tear 
from  his  eyes,  which  were  usually  so  bright.  "  It 
won't  be  so  long  till  I  have  finished  my  studies 
and  then  I  can  do  what  I  please.  Then  I  shall 
try  to  find  a  little  house  for  us  both,  which  will  be 
our  home.     I  am  going  to  get  that  if  I  have  to 

176 


NEW  FRIENDS 

work  for  twenty  years  in  the  fields  till  it  is 
paid  for." 

Salo's  eyes  had  become  sunny  again  during 
this  speech.  He  looked  as  if  he  would  not  have 
minded  seizing  a  hoe  that  very  moment. 

Rapid  steps  were  now  heard  approaching, 
the  door  was  quickly  opened,  and  Miss  Remke 
called  out  on  entering:  "  The  carriage  is  at  the 
door.  Let  us  get  ready,  for  I  do  not  want  the 
gentleman  to  wait.  I  am  sure  you  will  be  so  kind 
as  to  help  me  lift  Leonore  out  of  bed  and  to  carry 
her  down  stairs." 

Leonore  had  grown  as  white  as  a  sheet  from 
fright. 

"  May  I  ask  if  it  is  my  brother's  carriage, 
or "    Mrs.  Maxa  hesitated  a  little. 

"  Yes,  certainly,"  the  lady  interrupted,  while 
she  rapidly  pulled  some  covers  and  shawls  out  of 
a  wardrobe.  "  Your  brother  has  come  himself  in 
order  to  see  that  the  carriage  is  well  protected. 
He  also  means  to  give  the  coachman  the  directions 
himself,  but  we  must  not  keep  him  waiting.  What 
a  kind  friend  he  is ! " 

Mrs.  Maxa  had  already  lifted  Leonore  from 
her  bed  and  was  carrying  her  out. 

"  Please  bring  all  the  necessary  things  down- 
12  177 


MAZLI 

stairs.  I  can  do  this  easily  alone,  for  she  is  as 
light  as  a  feather,"  she  called  back  to  the  lady 
who  had  hastened  after  her  in  order  to  help. 

Going  downstairs  Mrs  Maxa  said,  "  Leonore, 
I  am  going  to  take  you  home  with  me  now.  The 
doctor  is  letting  me  do  what  I  wished:  you  will 
stay  with  me  till  you  are  well  again,  and  I 
shall  take  care  of  you.  Shall  you  like  to  come 
with  me?  We  know  each  other  a  little  already 
and  I  hope  you  won't  feel  so  strange  with  us." 

Leonore,  flinging  both  arms  about  Mrs. 
Maxa's  neck,  held  her  so  tight  that  she  could 
feel  the  little  girl  considered  her  no  stranger 
any  longer. 

Suddenly  Leonore  called  back  in  jubilating 
tones,  "  Salo,  Salo,  did  you  hear?  " 

Salo  had  heard  her  call  but  comprehended 
nothing  further.  Miss  Remke  had  piled  such 
heaps  of  shawls  and  covers  on  his  arms  that  one 
always  slid  down  after  the  other  and  he  was 
obliged  to  pick  them  up  again.  As  quickly  as 
the  circumstances  allowed,  he  ran  after  his  sister. 

Arrived  at  the  carriage,  Mrs.  Maxa  imme- 
diately looked  about  for  her  brother.  She  wanted 
to  hand  Leonore  to  him  while  she  prepared  every- 
thing in  the  conveyance  for  the  child's  comfort. 

178 


NEW  FRIENDS 

He  was  already  there.  Understanding  his  sis- 
ter's sign,  he  took  the  child  into  his  arms,  then 
lifted  her  gently  into  the  carriage.  His  glance 
was  suddenly  arrested  by  the  boy,  who  was  stand- 
ing beside  the  carriage  with  his  burdens. 

With  the  most  joyful  surprise  he  exclaimed, 
"  As  sure  as  I  am  born  this  must  be  a  young  Salo. 
It  is  written  in  his  eyes.  Give  me  your  hand, 
boy.  Your  father  was  my  friend,  my  best  friend 
in  the  world;  so  we  must  be  friends,  too." 

Salo's  eyes  expressed  more  and  more  surprise. 
This  manner  of  being  taken  to  a  hospital  seemed 
very  odd  to  him.  The  strangest  of  all,  however, 
was  that  Leonore  sat  in  the  corner  of  the  carriage 
smiling  contentedly,  for  Mrs.  Maxa  had  just 
whispered  something  into  her  ear. 

"  Do  we  have  to  say  good-bye  now,  Leonore," 
Salo  asked,  jumping  up  the  carriage  step,  "  and 
can't  I  see  you  any  more?  " 

"  Salo,"  Mrs.  Maxa  said,  "  I  was  just  think- 
ing that  you  could  sit  beside  the  coachman  if  you 
want  to.  You  can  drive  to  Nolla  with  us,  for  you 
will  want  to  see  where  Leonore  is  going.  I  can 
have  you  brought  back  to-morrow  in  time  to  meet 
your  friends.    Do  you  approve  of  that,  Philip  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  certainly,"  the  brother  answered, 
179 


MAZLI 

"  but  if  that  is  the  plan,  I  am  going  along.  I 
thought  at  first  that  this  trip  would  prove  a  very 
mournful  one.  It  seems  more  like  a  festal- jour- 
ney to  me  now,  so  I've  come,  too.  Salo  and  I 
will  sit  high  up  and  to-morrow  I  promise  to  bring 
him  back  here." 

With  shining  eyes  the  boy  climbed  to  the  seat 
which  the  coachman  had  just  relinquished.  He 
understood  now  that  the  hospital  was  not  to  be 
their  destination.  With  many  hearty  hand- 
shakes and  good  wishes  the  two  Remke  ladies  at 
last  let  their  friend  and  adviser  go.  After  many 
more  last  greetings  to  all  the  party  the  carriage 
finally  rolled  towards  the  valley. 

Leonore  was  so  exhausted  that,  leaning 
against  her  companion,  she  fell  asleep,  but  she 
staunchly  held  on  to  Mrs.  Maxa's  hand,  which 
seemed  to  her  that  of  a  loving  mother.  It  was 
the  first  time  in  her  life  that  she  had  felt  this. 

On  the  high  seat  outside  the  conversation  was 
extremely  lively.  Young  Salo  had  to  tell  where 
and  how  he  lived,  and  then  his  companion  ex- 
plained in  turn  the  places  they  were  passing 
through  and  told  him  whatever  unusual  had  hap- 
pened in  the  neighborhood.  The  uncle  found  out 
that  neither  Salo  nor  his  sister  had  the  slightest 

180 


NEW  FRIENDS 

remembrance  of  their  parents.  The  boy's  ear- 
liest memory  went  back  to  an  estate  in  Holstein 
where  they  had  lived  with  an  elderly  great-aunt, 
his  grandmother's  sister.  They  were  about  five 
or  six  years  old  when  the  aunt  died,  after  which 
they  were  sent  to  Hanover  to  their  present  abode. 

Twice  a  year  a  relation  of  their  great-aunt 
came  to  see  them,  but  he  was  such  a  stiff,  quiet 
gentleman  that  they  could  not  enjoy  his  visits. 
It  was,  however,  this  man  who  always  decided 
what  was  to  be  done  with  them.  For  the 
present  they  were  to  remain  where  they  were  till 
Salo  had  finished  his  studies.  After  that  the 
choice  where  to  settle  was  left  to  them. 

"  But  I  know  what  I  shall  do  first  of  all," 
Salo  added  with  sparkling  eyes. 

Just  then  the  old  castle  came  in  view. 

"  Oh,  what  a  wonderful  castle  with  great 
towers!  "  Salo  exclaimed.  "  It  is  all  closed  up; 
there  can't  be  anybody  living  there.  It  doesn't 
seem  to  be  in  ruins,  though.     What  is  it  called?  " 

"  This  is  Castle  Wildenstein,"  the  boy's  com- 
panion curtly  answered,  throwing  a  searching 
glance  at  the  young  Baron.  The  latter  looked 
innocently  up  at  the  gray  towers,  remarking  that 

181' 


MAZLI 

anybody  who  owned  a  castle  like  that  would  sim- 
ply be  the  happiest  man  in  the  world. 

"  He  knows  nothing  about  the  castle  of  his 
ancestors  and  the  whole  tragic  story.  So  much 
the  better,"  said  Uncle  Philip  to  himself. 

When  the  carriage  drove  up  before  Mrs. 
Maxa's  door,  everything  was  very  quiet  there, 
for  the  children  were  still  in  school.  Kathy  came 
running  towards  them  with  astonished  eyes.  She 
did  not  know  at  all  what  was  going  on,  and  that 
was  a  novelty  for  her. 

Salo  had  the  reins  pressed  into  his  hands  be- 
fore he  knew  it.  With  a  bound  his  new  friend 
had  jumped  to  the  ground  and  called  back,  "  If 
you  don't  move,  the  horses  will  stay  quiet,  too." 
Quickly  opening  the  carriage,  he  lifted  Leonore 
out  and  carried  her  up  to  the  little  room  which 
had  been  got  ready  for  her.  Mrs.  Maxa  followed 
at  his  heels.  He  then  turned  hurriedly  back  to 
his  young  substitute,  for  he  felt  a  little  uneasy 
at  the  thought  of  what  might  happen  to  the  horses 
and  carriage.  The  boy  might  want  to  drive 
about  and  the  horses  might  begin  to  jump.  But 
no;  stiff  and  immovable,  the  boy  sat  at  his  post, 
firmly  holding  the  reins. 

Even  now  when  a  party  of  eight  feet  came 

182 


NEW  FRIENDS 

running  towards  him,  Salo  did  not  move.  The 
calls  of  "  Uncle  Philip,  Uncle  Philip !  "  sounded 
with  more  vigor  than  usual,  because  the  children 
had  not  expected  him  back  so  soon,  and  therefore 
had  to  celebrate  his  coming  with  double  energy. 
Uncle  Philip  was  immediately  surrounded,  and 
eight  arms  held  him  so  tight  that  there  was  no  use 
in  struggling. 

"  Just  look  at  my  young  nobleman  up  there," 
he  said,  vainly  trying  to  get  free.  "  He  certainly 
knows  what  it  means  to  remain  firmly  at  his  post 
and  do  his  duty.  If  he  had  not  held  the  reins 
tightly,  your  wild  cries  would  have  driven  horses 
and  carriage  down  the  ravine  long  ago." 

All  arms  suddenly  dropped  and  all  eyes  were 
directed  towards  the  figure  on  the  coachman's 
seat.  In  the  unexpected  joy  of  their  uncle's  re- 
turn nobody  had  noticed  the  boy.  Uncle  Philip, 
who  was  free  now,  let  Salo  get  down  and  intro- 
duced him  to  the  children. 

Salo  had  a  friendly  greeting  for  every  one  and 
his  eyes  sparkled  gaily  when  he  shook  their  hands. 
His  whole  appearance  was  so  attractive  and  en- 
gaging that  the  children  immediately  took  a  lik- 
ing to  him.  With  lively  gestures  they  surounded 
him  like  an  old  acquaintance,  so  that  Salo  quickly 

183 


MAZLI 

felt  that  he  had  come  among  good  friends.  Even 
the  reserved  Bruno,  whom  nobody  had  ever  been 
able  to  approach,  linked  Salo's  arm  confidentially 
in  his  in  order  to  conduct  the  guest  into  the  house. 

Here  Bruno  sat  down  beside  Salo  and  the  two 
were  immediately  immersed  in  the  most  eager 
conversation.  Mea,  Kurt  and  Lippo  were  hunt- 
ing everywhere  for  their  mother,  for  they  had  not 
the  faintest  idea  where  she  had  gone. 

When  Uncle  Philip  came  back,  he  called  them 
together  and  told  them  where  their  mother  was 
and  what  she  wished  them  to  know  through  him. 
As  she  had  brought  a  sick  child  with  her,  she  could 
have  no  intercourse  with  the  children  for  two  or 
three  days.  The  doctor  had  also  forbidden  them 
to  go  up  to  the  sick-room,  and  they  were  to  do 
the  best  they  could  during  that  time.  If  the 
sickness  should  get  worse,  a  nurse  was  to  come 
to  the  house  and  then  the  mother  would  be  free 
again.  If  the  illness  was  to  be  slight,  on  the 
contrary,  the  children  would  be  admitted  to  the 
sick-room  and  make  Leonore's  acquaintance. 
They  could  even  help  a  little  in  her  care,  for  the 
mother  would  not  then  be  obliged  to  keep  them 
apart.  Mazli  was  to  be  sent  to  Apollonie  every 
morning  and  was  to  spend  the  day  there.     Not 

184 


NEW  FRIENDS 

to  be  able  to  have  a  glimpse  of  their  mother  for 
two  or  three  days  was  depressing  news  in- 
deed. The  three  children's  faces  were  abso- 
lutely disconcerted,  for  the  obstacles  were 
clearly  insurmountable. 

"  Well,  is  this  so  terrible?  "  Uncle  Philip  said 
cheerily.  "  Who  needs  to  let  his  wings  droop  ? 
Just  think  if  you  were  in  the  place  of  the  sick 
girl,  who  has  no  mother  at  all!  Can't  you  let  her 
have  yours  for  a  few  days  ?  No  ?  Just  think  what 
is  to  follow.  Your  mother  will  come  down  then 
and  bring  you  a  new  playmate.  Leonore  is 
friendly  and  charming  and  has  sweeter  manners 
than  you  have  ever  seen.  Kurt  is  sure  to  make 
dozens  of  songs  about  her  and  Mea  will  be  car- 
ried away  with  enthusiasm  for  her.  Lippo  will 
find  an  affectionate  protectress  in  her  who  will 
be  able  to  appreciate  his  little-recognized  virtues. 
Are  you  satisfied  now?  " 

This  speech  really  had  splendid  results.  All 
three  were  willing  enough  now  to  let  the  sick 
Leonore  have  their  mother,  and  they  were  anxious 
besides  to  do  everything  in  their  power  to  make 
Leonore's  recovery  speedy.  The  uncle's  descrip- 
tion of  the  new  playmate  had  wakened  such  a 
lively  sympathy  in  them  that  they  were  ready  to 

185 


MAZLI 

assist  him  in  many  ways,  and  he  was  even  obliged 
to  cool  their  zeal.  As  their  guest  was  to  remain 
such  a  short  while,  Uncle  Philip  suggested  a  walk 
in  order  to  show  him  the  surroundings,  but  when 
they  looked  around  for  Salo,  they  could  not  find 
either  him  or  Bruno. 

"  They  thought  of  the  same  thing,"  Uncle 
Philip  said.  "  It  will  be  great  fun  to  hunt  for 
them."    So  they  started  off. 

Uncle  Philip  had  guessed  right.  Bruno  had 
found  his  new  friend  so  much  to  his  liking  that 
he  wanted  to  keep  him  entirely  to  himself.  While 
the  uncle  had  talked  with  the  younger  children,  he 
had  led  Salo  out  to  take  him  on  a  stroll  in  the 
beautiful  sunset.  Salo  was  perfectly  satisfied, 
too,  as  he  felt  himself  likewise  drawn  towards 
Bruno.  In  this  short  time  the  two  boys  had 
grown  as  confiding  as  if  they  had  known  each 
other  for  years  and  they  were  just  then  wan- 
dering towards  the  castle  hill,  absorbed  in 
lively  conversation. 

"  Can  you  guess  why  I  am  taking  you  up 
there? "  Bruno  suddenly  asked,  interrupting 
the  talk. 

"  Because  it  is  so  lovely,"  Salo  replied  quickly. 

He  had  stopped  walking  and  was  looking 
186 


NEW  FRIENDS 

across  the  flowering  meadows  towards  the  castle 
over  which  rosy  clouds  were  floating  on  the  bright 
evening  sky. 

"  No,  not  for  that  reason,"  said  Bruno,  "  but 
because  it  belongs  to  an  uncle  of  yours." 

Salo  looked  at  him,  full  of  astonishment. 

"  But  Bruno,  what  an  idea! "  he  called  out 
laughing.  "  That  would  not  be  so  bad,  but  it 
can't  be  true.  We  only  have  one  uncle,  who  has 
been  living  in  Spain  for  a  number  of  years  and 
who  expects  to  stay  there." 

"  The  castle  belongs  to  just  that  uncle  who 
lives  in  Spain,"  Bruno  asserted. 

He  reminded  Salo  of  the  fact  that  their 
mothers  had  known  each  other  while  living  in 
the  castle  and  had  grown  to  be  such  friends  there. 
Salo  admitted  this  but  was  firmly  persuaded  that 
the  castle  had  long  since  been  sold  and  that  his 
uncle  would  never  come  back,  he  had  heard  that 
from  his  great- aunt.  So  Bruno  had  to  agree  with 
him  that  the  castle  had  probably  been  sold,  if  the 
uncle  did  not  think  of  returning. 

"  Do  you  know,  Salo,"  said  Bruno  while  they 
continued  their  walk,  "  I  should  love  to  do  what 
your  uncle  did.  I  want  to  go  away  from  here 
and  disappear  for  a  long  time.     Then  I  would 

187 


MAZLI 

not  be  obliged  to  be  fettered  to  those  two  horrid 
,  boys.  I  can't  stand  it,  and  you  now  know  your- 
self what  they  are  like." 

Bruno  had  described  his  two  comrades  to  his 
new  friend,  their  mean  attitude  and  their  frequent 
and  contemptible  tricks.  Salo  had  repeatedly 
shown  his  feeling  by  sudden  exclamations  and  he 
said  now  with  comforting  sympathy,  "  I  am  sure 
it  must  make  you  feel  like  running  away  if  you 
are  obliged  to  spend  all  your  days  with  two  such 
boys.  But  don't  listen  to  them,  pay  no  attention 
to  them,  and  let  them  do  and  say  what  they  please. 
If  they  want  to  be  mean,  let  them  be,  for  they 
can't  make  you  different." 

"  Oh,  if  you  could  be  with  me,  that  would  be 
much  easier,"  Bruno  said.  "  I  should  know  then 
that  you  felt  with  me  and  shared  my  anger. 
When  I  am  compelled  to  be  alone  with  them  and 
they  do  sneaky  acts  to  people  who  can't  defend 
themselves,  I  always  get  so  mad  that  I  have  to 
beat  them.  That  always  brings  nasty  talk  and 
makes  my  mother  unhappy,  and  then  I  feel  worse 
than  ever.  If  only  I  could  go  far  away  and 
never  have  to  meet  them  any  more ! " 

"If  you  had  an  idea  what  it  is  like  not  to  have 
any  home  at  all,  you  would  not  wish  to  leave  yours 

188 


NEW  FRIENDS 

without  even  knowing  where  to  go,"  said  Salo. 
'  You  would  not  think  that  anything  was  too  hard 
to  bear  if  you  could  go  home  and  tell  your  mother 
all  about  it.  If  you  have  that  consolation,  it 
should  make  you  able  to  stand  a  lot  of  trouble. 
I  shouldn't  mind  living  with  those  two  during 
school-term,  if  I  could  go  to  a  place  during  the 
holidays  that  were  a  real  home  for  me  and  Leo- 
nore.  Every  time  I  come  to  her  she  cries  about 
having  no  home  in  the  whole  wide  world.  I  try 
to  think  out  something  so  that  we  won't  have  to 
wait  so  long  before  we  can  live  together.  But 
that  is  hard  to  carry  out,  for  the  gentleman  in 
Holstein  who  decides  about  our  up-bringing 
wants  me  to  study  for  many  years.  That  will 
take  much  too  long.  Leonore  might  even  die 
before  that,  and  I  want  to  do  it  all  for  her.  I  am 
so  glad  now  that  Leonore  has  fallen  ill  and  has 
therefore  come  to  you,"  he  said  with  a  brighter 
glance.  "  I  wish  she  would  stay  sick  for  a  while — 
of  course  not  awfully  sick,"  he  corrected  himself 
rapidly,  "  I  mean  just  sick  enough  so  that  your 
mother  would  not  let  her  go.  I  know  quite  well 
how  happy  Leonore  will  be  with  her.  She  was 
so  kind  and  friendly  with  us  right  away.  Since 
our  old  aunt  died  nobody  has  been  so  good  and 

189 


MAZLI 

sweet  with  us  as  your  mother  and  that  will  do 
more  good  to  Leonore  than  anything  else 
on  earth." 

Salo's  words  made  a  deep  impression  on 
Bruno.  He  had  never  before  realized  that  every- 
one did  not  have  a  lovely  home  like  his,  and  a 
mother  besides  who  was  always  ready  to  greet 
him  affectionately,  who  could  be  told  everything, 
could  help  him  bear  everything,  who  shared  all 
his  experiences  and  had  a  sympathy  like  no  one 
else.  All  this  he  had  accepted  as  if  it  could  not  be 
otherwise.  Now  came  the  realization  that  things 
might  be  different.  Poor  Salo  and  his  sister,  for 
instance,  had  to  suffer  bitterly  from  missing  what 
he  had  always  enjoyed  to  the  full  without  think- 
ing about  it.  He  was  seized  with  a  sudden  sym- 
pathy for  his  new  friend,  who  looked  so  refined 
and  charming,  and  who  already  had  to  bear  such 
sorrow  for  himself  and  his  sister.  Bruno  now 
flung  behind  him  all  the  thoughts  and  schemes  he 
had  had  in  connection  with  his  coming  fate  and 
with  all  the  fire  of  his  nature  he  fastened  on  the 
thought  of  doing  everything  in  his  power  to  help 
Salo.  He  wanted  to  further  his  friend's  plan  to 
found  a  home  for  himself  and  his  sister  as  soon  as 
possible.      That    was    something    much    more 

190 


NEW  FRIENDS 

important  than  his  disinclination  to  De  with  the 
Knippel  boys. 

"  Now  I  shall  not  think  about  anything  but 
what  you  can  do  to  make  your  plan  come  true," 
he  said  at  the  conclusion  of  his  meditation.  "  If 
there  are  two  of  us  who  are  so  set  on  finding  a  way 
we  are  sure  to  succeed  somehow." 

"  It  seems  so  wonderful  to  me,"  said  Salo, 
quite  overcome  by  Bruno's  warm  sympathy.  "  I 
have  various  friends  in  boarding  school,  but  there 
isn't  one  to  whom  I  could  have  told  what  I  am 
always  thinking  about,  as  I  have  told  you.  You 
are  so  different  from  them.  Will  you  be 
my  friend? " 

Bruno  firmly  grasped  Salo's  proffered  hand 
and  cried  out  with  beaming  eyes,  "  Yes,  Salo,  I 
will  be  your  friend  my  whole  life  long.  I  wish  I 
could  do  you  a  favor,  too,  as  you  have  done  me." 

"  But  I  have  not  done  anything  for  you," 
Salo  said  with  surprise. 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  have.  Now  that  I  know  I  have 
a  friend  I  have  lost  my  dread  of  living  with  the 
Knippel  boys.  I  know  that  I  can  let  them  do  as 
they  please,  for  I'll  know  that  I  have  a  friend 
who  thinks  as  I  do  and  would  have  the  same 
feeling  about  their  actions.     I'll  be  able  to  tell 

191 


MAZLI 

you  everything,  and  you  will  tell  me  what  you 
think.    I  can  let  them  alone  and  think  of  you." 

"  Do  you  know,  Bruno,  the  way  I  feel  a  real 
friendship  ought  to  be?  "  Salo  said  with  glowing 
eyes,  for  this  had  made  him  happy,  too.  "  I  think 
it  ought  to  be  this  way :  if  we  have  to  hear  of  any- 
thing that  is  ugly,  mean  or  rough,  we  ought  to 
think  right  away:  I  have  a  friend  who  would 
never  do  such  a  thing.  If  we  hear  of  something 
though  that  pleases  us,  because  it  is  fine,  noble 
and  great,  we  should  think  again:  My  friend 
would  do  the  same.    Don't  you  agree  with  me?  " 

Bruno  judged  himself  very  severely,  because 
his  mother  had  held  up  his  own  faults  to  him  so 
that  he  knew  them  very  well.  He  replied  hesi- 
tatingly, "  I  wish  one  could  always  be  the  way  one 
wants  to  be.  Would  you  give  up  trusting  a 
friend  right  away  if  he  did  not  act  the  way  you 
expected  him  to? " 

"  No,  no,"  Salo  said  quickly,  "  such  a  friend 
could  not  trust  me  any  more  either.  I  mean  it 
differently.  The  friend  ought  to  hate  to  do  wrong 
and  ought  to  want  to  do  right.  He  Ought  to  be 
most  sorry  if  he  did  not  come  up  to  the  best." 

Bruno  could  now  gladly  and  joyfully  assent. 
Suddenly  the  two  boys  heard  their  names  called 

192 


NEW  FRIENDS 

out  loudly.  Turning  round  they  saw  Kurt  and 
Lippo  hurrying  towards  them  and  the  uncle  fol- 
lowing with  Mea  at  a  slower  pace. 

"  Wait,  wait  I  "  Kurt  cried  out  so  loudly  that 
the  echo  sounded  back  again  from  the  castle, 
"Wait,  wait!" 

The  two  friends  were  doing  just  what  had 
been  asked  of  them,  for  they  were  sitting  quietly 
on  the  turf.  The  brothers  had  now  reached  them, 
and  Mea  soon  followed  with  the  uncle,  whose  face 
showed  signs  of  perturbation. 

"  I  hope  you  have  not  run  up  to  the  castle 
with  Salo,  Bruno,"  he  cried  out  with  agitation. 

"  Oh,  no,  uncle,"  Bruno  replied,  "  we  sat 
down  here  on  the  way  up.  I  just  wanted  to  show 
Salo  the  castle  that  belonged  to  his  uncle,  but  he 
does  not  know  anything  about  it.  He  thinks  that 
it  has  been  sold  long  ago  because  he  never 
heard  about  it." 

"  Good !  "  said  Uncle  Philip  with  satisfaction. 
"  Now  let  us  quickly  go  home.  It  is  not  right  to 
starve  a  guest  on  his  first  visit;  he  might  never 
come  again." 

"  Oh,  I  certainly  shall,  Mr. ,"  here  Salo 

hesitated,  "  I  do  not  remember  the  name,"  he 
added,  quite  concerned. 

18  193 


MAZLI 

"  My  name  here  is  Uncle  Philip,"  the  kind 
gentleman  answered,  "  just  Uncle  Philip,  noth- 
ing else! " 

"  Am  I  allowed  to  call  you  Uncle,  too?  That 
makes  me  feel  so  much  at  home!  "  Salo  exclaimed 
after  nodding  cordially.  "  Well,  Uncle  Philip,  I 
mean  to  come  to  you  again  with  the  keenest  pleas- 
ure every  time  I  am  invited.  I  would  even  come 
with  the  greatest  joy  if  you  never  gave  me  any- 
thing to  eat." 

"  No,  no,  we  don't  have  institutions  for  starv- 
ing people,"  Uncle  Philip  replied.  "  We  are  re- 
turning home  now  to  a  little  feast  I  have  told 
Kathy  to  get  ready.  It  will  consist  mostly  of 
country  dishes.  Our  guest  must  know  he  has 
been  received  by  friends." 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Philip,  I  felt  that  the  first  mo- 
ment I  met  you,"  Salo  exclaimed. 

The  little  group  now  strolled  happily  down 
the  incline  towards  the  house. 

Mazli  was  standing  in  the  doorway  with  eyes 
as  big  as  saucers.  She  had  received  the  news 
from  Kathy  that  they  were  to  have  omelette, 
apple-souffle,  ham-pudding,  sour  milk  and  sweet 
biscuits  for  supper  in  honour  of  a  charming  guest 
and   Uncle   Philip,   who  had    come    back.     So 

194 


NEW  FRIENDS 

Mazli  looked  out  at  them,  and  as  soon  as  they 
were  near  enough,  studied  Salo  very  carefully. 

He  must  have  pleased  her,  ior  she  quickly  ran 
towards  him  and,  reaching  out  her  hand,  said, 
"  Won't  you  stay  with  us  for  a  while?  " 

Salo  laughed:  "  Yes,  I  should  love  to." 

Taking  him  by  the  hand,  Mazli  led  him  into 
the  house  and  to  the  room  where  the  inviting  table 
was  already  set.  Kathy  had  been  so  many  years 
in  the  house  that  she  knew  exactly  how  things 
ought  to  be.  Everyone  sat  down  now  and  Uncle 
Philip  was  amusingly  talking.  Everything  he 
had  ordered  for  the  meal  tasted  so  delightfully 
that  it  seemed  like  a  feast  to  them  and  Salo  said, 
"  I  should  never  have  been  able  to  conceive  such 
a  wonderful  end  of  my  holidays,  if  I  had  imagined 
the  most  marvellous  thing  in  the  world." 

"If  Salo  could  only  stay  here  a  few  days,  if 
only  one  day  more,"  Bruno  urged.  All  the  rest 
were  of  the  same  opinion  and  they  loudly  begged 
Uncle  Philip  to  persuade  him  to  spend  the  next 
day  with  them.  They  thought  that  even  one  day 
together  would  be  perfect  for  everyone. 

"  Yes,  and  for  me  most  of  all,"  said  Salo,  "  but 
I  cannot.  My  teacher  and  comrades  are  coming 
to  fetch  me  at  Sils  to-morrow  at  ten  o'clock.    This 

195 


MAZLI 

is  absolutely  settled  and  there  is  not  the  slightest 
chance  for  my  staying  here,  even  if  I  wished  it 
more  than  anything  in  the  world." 

"  That  is  right,  Salo,  that  is  the  way  to  talk," 
Uncle  Philip  said.  "  What  has  to  be,  has  to  be, 
even  if  we  don't  like  it.  Please  do  not  beg  him  any 
more  to  stay.  Let  us  play  a  nice  game  now  and 
let  us  enjoy  ourselves  while  he  is  with  us." 

Uncle  Philip  soon  started  the  game,  and  their 
merry  mood  returned  with  the  fun. 

At  the  exact  time  when  their  mother  always 
called  the  little  ones  for  bed  Lippo  cried,  "  Uncle 
Philip,  we  must  sing  the  evening  song  now  and 
after  that  Mazli  and  I  must  go  to  bed." 

This  did  not  suit  Mazli  at  all,  however,  for  she 
was  full  of  the  game  just  then.  Salo,  who  was 
sitting  beside  her,  had  been  so  funny,  that  it 
suited  her  better  to  stay  here  than  to  go  to  bed. 
Quickly  climbing  up  the  uncle's  chair  from  be- 
hind, she  put  both  round  arms  caressingly  about 
his  neck  and  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  Oh,  darling 
Uncle  Philip,  to-day  is  a  feast-day,  isn't  it  ?  Can't 
we  stay  up  a  little  longer?  The  game  is  such  fun 
and  it's  so  tiresome  to  go  to  bed." 

"  Yes,  yes,  it  is  a  feast-day,"  the  uncle 
196 


NEW  FRIENDS 

assented ;  "  the  little  ones  can  stay  up  a  little 
longer.     Let  us  all  keep  on  playing." 

Mazli  joyfully  skipped  back  to  her  place,  and 
the  merriment  was  resumed.  The  game,  which 
was  very  amusing,  was  made  more  so  by  Uncle 
Philip's  funny  remarks.  Nobody  had  noticed 
therefore  how  quiet  Mazli  had  grown. 

Salo  suddenly  remarked,  "  Oh,  look  1  Mazli 
is  sound  asleep.  She  is  nearly  tumbling  from 
her  chair."  And  the  little  girl  would  have 
dropped  had  not  Salo  held  her  by  quickly  putting 
his  arm  about  her. 

Uncle  Philip  went  to  her. 

"  Come,  Mazli,  come,"  he  said  encouragingly, 
"  open  your  eyes  quickly  and  Mea  will  take  you 
to  bed." 

"  No,  no,"  Mazli  lamented,  and  would  not 
move. 

"  But  you  must !  Just  look,  we  are  all  going," 
the  uncle  said  vigorously.  "  Do  you  want  to 
stay  behind? " 

"  No,  no,  no,"  Mazli  moaned,  full  of  misery. 

"  Mea,  give  her  some  cake,"  the  uncle  ordered, 
I  then  she'll  wake  up." 

"  We  have  no  cake,  uncle,"  Mea  replied. 

"What,  you  don't  have  a  thing  so  necessary 
197 


MAZLI 

as  that  in  a  house  full  of  children !  Well,  I  shall 
get  some  to-morrow,"  he  said,  quite  agitated. 
"  Do  you  want  a  candy,  Mazli  ?  Come,  just  taste 
how  sweet  it  is." 

"  No,  no,  no,"  Mazli  moaned  again  in  such 
sorrowful  tones  as  no  one  had  ever  heard  from  the 
energetic  little  child. 

Suddenly  a  most  disturbing  thought  shot 
through  the  uncle's  brain:  "  Suppose  the  child  has 
already  caught  the  fever?  What  should  I  do? 
What  ought  one  to  do?  "  he  cried  out  with  grow- 
ing anxiety. 

Kathy  had  entered  the  room  in  the  meantime 
to  see  if  anything  more  was  needed. 

"  That  is  the  way,  Mr.  Falcon,"  she  said,  go- 
ing up  to  Mazli,  and  quickly  lifting  her  in  her 
strong  arms,  she  carried  her  upstairs.  Despite 
all  her  lamenting  the  child  was  then  undressed 
and  put  to  bed.  In  the  shortest  time  she  was 
sound  asleep  again  without  a  trace  of  fever. 

"  Well,  that's  over  now,"  Uncle  Philip  said, 
quite  relieved  when  Kathy  came  back  with  the 
news.  "  I  really  think  that  the  time  has  come  for 
us  all  to  seek  our  beds.  Lippo  actually  looks  as 
if  he  could  not  stand  on  his  little  legs." 

The  boy  was  as  white  as  chalk  from  staying 
198 


NEW  FRIENDS 

up  so  late.  From  time  to  time  he  tried  to  open 
his  eyes,  but  they  always  fell  shut  again.  The 
uncle,  taking  his  hand,  wanted  to  lead  him  away, 
but  he  fought  against  it. 

"  Uncle  Philip,  we  have  not  sung  the  evening- 
song  yet,"  he  said,  clutching  the  piano. 

"  Mercy!  "  the  uncle  cried  out  disturbed.  "  Is 
this  going  to  start  now?  No,  no,  Lippo,  it  is 
much  too  late  to-night.  You  can  sing  two 
songs  to-morrow,  then  everything  will  be  straight- 
ened out." 

"  Then  we  shall  have  sung  two  songs  to-mor- 
row, but  none  to-day,"  Lippo  began  in  a  com- 
plaining voice,  holding  on  to  the  piano  and  pull- 
ing his  uncle  towards  him. 

"  Nothing  can  be  done,  we  have  to  do  it," 
Uncle  Philip  said  with  resignation,  for  he  knew 
the  obstinacy  of  his  godson  in  regard  to 
all  customs. 

"  Kurt,  you  can  tell  me  about  the  songs ;  please 
find  the  shortest  in  the  song-book,  or  we  shall  have 
to  sing  till  to-morrow  morning.  Please  spare  us 
such  a  miserable  scene.  But  wait,  Kurt!  The 
song  must  have  a  tune  I  can  sing,  for  as  nobody 
plays  the  piano,  I  have  to  set  the  tune.  Do  you 
want  to  sing  with  us,  too,  Salo,  or  is  it  too  late 

199 


MAZLI 

for  you?  You  can  retire  if  you  prefer.  You 
go  upstairs  to  the  room  at  the  right  corner/* 

"  Oh,  no,  I  want  to  stay  as  long  as  anybody  is 
left,"  Salo  replied.  "  I  shall  enjoy  singing  and 
doing  everything  with  you.  It  is  all  so  funny 
and  strange." 

Kurt  had  chosen  a  suitable  song  and  Uncle 
Philip  began  it  so  vigorously  that  everybody 
could  join  and  a  full- voiced  chorus  was  formed. 
Lippo's  voice  sounded  dreadfully  weak,  but  he 
sang  every  note  to  the  last  word,  fighting  mightily 
against  his  growing  sleepiness.  Now  the  little 
company  could  wander  upstairs  to  their  respec- 
tive rooms  without  further  obstacle. 

"  Oh,"  Uncle  Philip  breathed  relieved  when 
they  had  reached  the  top.  "  At  least  we  are  as  far 
as  this.  It  really  is  an  undertaking  to  keep  in 
order  a  handful  of  children  where  one  always 
differs  from  the  last.  Now  I  have  luckily  gotten 
through  for  to-day.  What?  Not  yet?  What  is 
the  matter,  Bruno? " 

The  latter,  approaching  his  uncle  with  clear 
signs  that  he  wanted  him  for  something,  had 
pulled  hin  aside. 

"  I  want  to  ask  you  for  something,"  said 
Bruno.     "  I  wonder  if  you  will  do  me  a  great 

200 


NEW  FRIENDS 

favor,  Uncle  Philip.  Salo  and  I  have  so  much 
to  talk  about  still  and  he  must  leave  to-morrow, 
I  wanted  to  ask  you  if  Kurt  can  sleep  beside  you 
in  the  guest  room  and  Salo  could  sleep  in  Kurt's 
bed  in  my  room." 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of,"  the  uncle  said 
irritably.  "  You  should  hear  what  your  mother 
would  say  to  that.  The  idea  of  having  a  Waller- 
statten  for  a  guest  and  offering  him  a  bed  which 
has  been  used  already.  That  would  seem  a  real 
crime  in  her  eyes.  That  can't  be ;  no,  it  mustn't. 
I  hope  you  can  see  it,  too,  don't  you?  " 

"  Yes,"  Bruno  said,  much  depressed,  for  he 
had  to  agree.  But  Uncle  could  not  stand  such 
downcast  spirits. 

"  Listen,  Bruno,"  he  said,  "  you  realize  that 
we  can't  do  it  that  way.  But  an  uncle  knows  how 
to  arrange  things  and  that  is  why  he  is  here.  This 
is  the  way  we'll  do.  I'll  sleep  in  your  bed,  and 
Salo  and  you  can  sleep  in  the  guest-room.  Will 
that  suit? " 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  Uncle  Philip  I  There  is  no 
other  uncle  like  you,"  Bruno  cried  out  in 
his  enthusiasm. 

So  Uncle  Philip's  last  difficulty  was  solved  for 
to-day  and  everybody  was  willing  to  go  to  bed. 

201 


MAZLI 

Soon  the  house  lay  in  deep  quiet:  even  the  sick 
child  in  the  highest  story  lay  calmly  sleeping  on 
her  cool  pillows.  She  did  not  even  notice  when 
Mrs.  Maxa  stepped  up  once  more  to  her  bedside 
with  a  little  lamp.  Before  herself  retiring  she 
wanted  to  listen  once  more  to  the  child's  breath- 
ing. Only  the  two  new  friends  were  still  talking 
long  after  midnight. 

They  understood  each  other  so  thoroughly  and 
upon  all  points  that  Bruno  had  proposed  in  his 
enthusiasm  that  they  would  not  waste  one  minute 
of  the  night  in  sleep.  Salo  expressed  his  wish 
over  and  over  again  that  Bruno  might  become  his 
comrade  in  the  boarding  school.  But  finally  vic- 
torious sleep  stole  unperceived  over  the  two  lads 
and  quietly  closed  their  eyes. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE  HAS 
CONSEQUENCES 

NEXT  morning  Salo  was  allowed  to  go 
into  his  sister's  room  in  order  to  say 
good-bye  to  her.  She  looked  at  him  so 
cheerfully  that  he  asked  with  eager  delight,  "  Do 
you  feel  so  much  better  already,  Leonore?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  feel  as  if  I  were  at  home,"  she 
replied  with  shining  eyes.  "  I  feel  as  if  our 
mother  had  come  down  from  heaven  to  take 
care  of  me." 

"  When  you  can  get  up  and  go  downstairs 
you  will  be  happier  still.  I  know  how  much  you 
will  enjoy  meeting  the  whole  family,"  said  Salo. 
"  Then  you  will  feel  as  if  you  were  in  a  real  home 
that  belongs  to  you." 

"  It  is  such  a  shame  that  you  have  to  go," 
Leonore  sighed,  but  this  time  the  tears  did  not 
come  quite  so  urgently.  How  things  had 
changed  since  yesterday — how  different  it  was 
now  to  stay  behind ! 

At  this  moment  Mrs.  Maxa  entered  the  room. 

203 


MAZLI 

She  had  left  it  as  she  wanted  to  give  brother  and 
sister  an  opportunity  to  see  each  other  alone,  but 
the  time  had  come  for  Salo  to  depart,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  leave  his  sister.  To-day  it 
seemed  harder  for  him  to  go  away  than  leave 
Leonore  behind. 

"  I  can't  even  say  that  I  wish  you  to  come  soon. 
I  have  to  hope  that  you  can  remain  here  a  long 
while,"  he  said  cheerily,  while  Leonore  was  smil- 
ing bravely.  Uncle  Philip,  ready  for  the  jour- 
ney, stood  beside  the  carriage.  All  the  children 
ran  towards  Salo  as  soon  as  he  appeared,  and 
when  he  said  good-bye,  he  was  treated  like  a 
friend  of  the  family  of  many  years'  standing. 
Each  of  the  children  showed  his  grief  in  a  special 
manner.  Mazli  cried  loudly  over  and  over  again, 
"  Oh,  Salo,  please  come  soon  again,  please  come 
soon  again." 

When  the  carriage  was  rolling  away  and  the 
handkerchiefs  that  fluttered  him  last  greetings 
were  all  Salo  could  see  from  the  distance,  he 
rapidly  brushed  away  a  few  tears.  He  had  never 
felt  so  thoroughly  at  home  anywhere  in  the  world 
before.  How  happy  he  had  been !  The  thought 
of  going  far  away  and  possibly  never  coming  back 
gave  him  a  little  pang  of  grief. 

204 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

When  the  children  returned  at  noon  from 
school  they  were  still  full  of  their  vivid  impression 
of  Salo's  sudden  appearance  and  departure.  They 
were  all  anxious  to  tell  their  mother  about  it, 
because  they  knew  that  they  could  always  count 
on  her  lively  sympathy.  One  or  the  other  of  the 
children  kept  forgetting  that  the  mother  must  not 
be  sought  and  would  absent-mindedly  make  an 
attempt  to  go  upstairs,  but  they  were  always  met 
by  unexpected  resistance.  Lippo  on  his  arrival 
home  from  school  had  posted  himself  there  to  see 
that  his  mother's  orders  were  strictly  kept.  H* 
also  had  missed  her  desperately,  but  he  had  never* 
theless  remembered  her  injunctions  and  was  quit* 
certain  that  the  others  might  forget  and  act  con* 
trary  to  her  orders.  Placing  himself  on  the  first 
step,  he  would  hold  any  of  his  brothers  or  sisters 
with  both  hands  when  they  came  towards  him  as 
they  dashed  upstairs.  When  he  cried  out  loudly, 
"  We  mustn't  do  it,  we  mustn't  do  it,"  they  ran 
away  again,  quite  frightened,  for  his  horrified 
shrieks  might  have  penetrated  into  the  sick-room. 
Kathy  was  the  only  one  who  appreciated  Lippo's 
worth.  She  had  received  orders  to  remind  the 
children  of  the  strict  command,  and  she  knew 
quite  well  from  previous  experiences  that  she 

205 


MAZLI 

could  never  have  succeeded  as  effectively  as  he. 
Mazli,  meanwhile,  was  sitting  at  Apollonie's 
table,  gayly  eating  a  snow-white  milk-pudding 
which  Apollonie  knew  so  well  how  to  prepare. 
Whenever  Mazli  came  to  a  meal  at  her  house,  she 
always  set  this  favorite  dish  before  the  child. 

The  days  when  Mazli  came  for  a  visit  here 
were  happy  days  for  Loneli.  There  was  always 
something  funny  going  on  at  meal-time,  because 
Mazli  had  so  many  amusing  things  to  speak  about. 
On  those  days  she  was  never  obliged  to  tell  her 
grandmother  exactly  what  lessons  she  had  known 
in  school  and  which  she  had  not.  Usually  Apol- 
lonie was  dreadfully  anxious  to  hear  how  punc- 
tually she  had  fulfilled  her  duties,  and  she  always 
chose  lunch-time  for  that  purpose  because  then  no 
other  affair  interfered  with  talking.  Beaming 
with  joy,  Loneli  now  sat  beside  Mazli,  who  was 
telling  iininterruptedly  about  Salo.  She  told  them 
that  he  was  friendlier  and  nicer  than  any  boy  she 
had  ever  seen,  and  she  quoted  Bruno,  Mea  and 
Kurt  as  saying  exactly  the  same  thing.  Usually 
they  disagreed  on  such  points.  Apollonie  was 
quite  absorbed  in  listening,  too,  and  nodding  her 
head  once  in  a  while,  she  seemed  to  say:  "  Yes, 
yes,  I  know  that  he  couldn't  be  called  Salo  for 

206 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

nothing."  This  interesting  subject  of  conversa- 
tion kept  her  longer  than  usual  to-day. 

"  Suddenly  she  started  up,  quite  frightened. 
Oh,  is  it  possible?  It  is  nearly  one  o'clock. 
Hurry  up,  Loneli,  or  you'll  be  late  for  school. 
Mazli,  you  and  I  have  something  to  do,  too,  this 
afternoon.  I  shall  take  you  on  a  walk  and  I'll 
tell  you  where  we  are  going  as  soon  as  we  start." 

As  the  dishes  had  to  be  washed  first,  Apollonie 
thought  that  Mazli  might  go  out  to  play  in  the 
garden.  But  Mazli  preferred  to  see  the  plates 
washed  and  dried  and  afterwards  set  in  neat  rows. 
After  these  tasks  Apollonie  put  on  a  good  apron, 
a  beautiful  neck-cloth,  and  after  packing  up  sev- 
eral shirts,  cloths  and  stockings  into  a  large 
basket  the  two  set  out. 

"  Where  are  we  going?  "  Mazli  asked,  inspect- 
ing the  basket.  "  Who  are  you  taking  these 
things  to? " 

"  They  belong  to  Mr.  Trius,"  replied  Apol- 
lonie. "  We  are  going  all  the  way  up  to  the  castle, 
as  far  as  the  great  iron  door.  When  I  pull  the 
bell-knob,  Mr.  Trius  comes  and  gets  this  basket. 
You'll  be  able  to  peep  in  through  the  door  till  he 
comes  back  again  with  the  empty  basket." 

"  Can  one  look  into  the  garden  from  there  and 

207 


MAZLI 

see  the  big  mignonette-bushes  that  mama  liked  so 
much? "  Mazli  asked. 

"  Yes,  yes,  the  garden  is  there,"  Apollonie 
replied  with  a  profound  sigh,  "  but  the  great  rose 
and  mignonette  beds  are  gone.  It  would  take 
a  long  time  nowadays  to  find  even  a  couple  of 
the  flowers." 

"  We  could  surely  find  them  inside,"  Mazli 
said  with  great  certainty. 

"  But  Mazli,  what  are  you  thinking  of?  No- 
body is  allowed  to  go  in.  You  see,  Mr.  Trius 
lets  nobody  either  into  the  garden  or  into  the 
castle,"  Apollonie  repeated  with  great  emphasis. 
"  I  should  have  gone  in  long  ago  if  he  had  let  me. 
Oh,  how  I  should  have  loved  to  go,  and  I  know 
how  badly  needed  I  am.  What  a  dreadful  dis- 
order all  the  rooms  must  be  in  I  If  I  could  only 
go  a  single  time  to  do  the  most  necessary  things! " 
Apollonie  in  her  great  trouble  had  quite  forgotten 
that  she  was  speaking  to  little  Mazli. 

"  Why  should  you  bring  him  so  many  shirts 
and  stockings  if  he  doesn't  let  you  in?  Don't 
bring  him  anything,"  Mazli  cried  out  indignantly. 

"  No,  no,  Mazli.  You  see  these  are  his  shirts 
and  stockings,  and  I  have  only  washed  and 
mended   them  for  him,"   Apollonie   explained. 

208 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

"  Besides,  Mr.  Triiis  can't  do  as  he  pleases.  Do 
you  see  the  open  windows  up  there?  No,  you 
couldn't  see  them  from  here.  Well,  up  there 
lives  a  sick  gentleman,  a  baron,  who  won't  let  any- 
body come  into  the  garden.  He  is  the  master 
there  and  can  give  orders,  and  people  must  not 
disobey  him.  Look,  one  can  see  the  open  win- 
dows quit  plainly  now." 

"Can  we  see  the  bad  baron,  too?"  asked 
Mazli  peeping  up  searchingly. 

"  I  did  not  say  that  he  was  bad,  Mazli,  I  only 
said  that  he  can  give  orders,"  Apollonie  corrected. 
"  And  you  can't  see  him  because  he  is  lying  sick 
in  bed.  Look,  look!  the  fine,  thick  raspberry 
bushes  used  to  be  there."  Apollonie  was  pointing 
to  wild-looking  shrubs  that  were  climbing  up  the 
castle  incline.  "  Oh,  how  different  it  all  used  to 
be!  Two  splendid  hedges  used  to  run  up  there, 
then  across  and  down  again  on  the  other  side. 
Both  girls  and  boys  used  to  feast  on  them  for 
whole  days  at  a  time,  and  there  were  always 
enough  left  for  pots  and  pots  full  of  jam.  And 
now  how  terrible  it  all  looks!  Everything  is 
growing  wild.  Nobody  who  has  known  the  place 
the  way  I  knew  it  could  have  ever  thought  that  it 
would  look  like  this." 

14  209 


MAZLI 

Mazli  was  not  very  deeply  moved  by  the 
change.  She  had  long  been  gazing  at  the  high 
gate  which  was  to  be  their  destination  and  which 
they  were  nearing  rapidly. 

"  Does  Mr.  Trius  take  his  big  stick  along 
when  he  comes  down  to  the  gate?"  she  asked, 
looking  cautiously  about  her. 

"  Yes,  yes,  he  never  goes  about  without  it, 
Mazli,  but  you  need  not  be  afraid,"  Apollonie 
calmed  her.  "  He  won't  hurt  you,  and  I  should 
advise  him  not  to.  Look !  there  he  comes  already. 
He  has  been  spying  about,  and  nothing  ever 
escapes  him." 

Mr.  Trius  was  already  standing  at  the  gate 
with  his  stick  and  opened  it.  "  That  is  fine,"  he 
said,  receiving  the  basket,  and  was  in  the  act  of 
closing  the  door  again  immediately. 

"No,  no,  Mr.  Trius,  don't  do  that!"  said 
Apollonie,  restraining  him.  She  had  vigorously 
pushed  back  the  door  and  posted  herself  firmly 
in  the  opening.  "  I  always  do  my  duty  punc- 
tually and  I  like  to  do  it  because  you  belong  to  the 
castle.  But  you  can  at  least  let  me  have  a  word 
about  the  master's  health." 

"  The  same,"  was  the  reply. 

"The  same;  what  does  that  mean?"  Apol* 

210 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

lonie  retorted.  "  Do  you  watch  him  while  he 
sleeps?  Are  you  cooking  the  right  things  for 
him?    What  does  the  master  eat ?  " 

"  Venison." 

"  What?  How  can  you  cook  such  things  for 
him?  Such  rich  and  heavy  meat  for  a  sick  man! 
What  does  the  doctor  say  to  that?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  What,  nothing?  He  certainly  must  say 
what  his  patient  ought  to  eat.  Who  is  his  doc- 
tor? I  hope  a  good  one.  I  am  afraid  the  master 
is  not  troubling  much  about  it.  Did  you  fetch 
the  one  from  Sils?    He  is  very  careful,  I  know." 

"  No." 

"  Who  do  you  have?  " 

"  No  one." 

Apollonie  threw  up  her  arms  in  violent  agi- 
tation. "So  the  baron  lies  up  there  sick  and 
lonely  and  nobody  even  fetches  a  doctor.  Oh,  if 
his  mother  knew  this !  That  simply  won't  do,  and 
I  am  going  in.  Please  let  me  in.  The  master 
won't  have  to  see  me  at  all.  All  I  want  to  do  is 
to  cook  something  strengthening  for  him.  I  shall 
only  put  his  room  in  order,  and  if  he  happens  to 
get  up,  I  can  make  his  bed.  Oh,  please  let  me 
in,  Mr.  Trius !   You  know  that  I'll  do  anything  in 

211 


MAZLI 

the  world  for  you.  Please  let  me  nurse  the 
sick  master ! " 

Apollonie's  voice  had  grown  supplicating. 

"  Forbidden,"  was  the  curt  reply. 

"  But  I  am  no  stranger  here.  I  have  served 
in  this  house  for  more  than  thirty  years,"  Apol- 
lonie  went  on  eagerly.  "  I  know  what  is  needed 
and  what  the  master  ought  to  have.  Things  are 
not  attended  to  at  all,  I  fear,  and  indeed  I  know 
it.  After  all  I  am  an  old  acquaintance,  and  I'll 
only  come  an  hour  a  day  to  do  the  most 
urgent  task." 

"  Nobody  is  allowed  to  come,"  Mr.  Trius  said 
again  in  his  unchangeable,  dry  tone.  It  was  all 
the  same  to  him  whether  Apollonie  begged  or 
scolded.  In  her  anxiety  about  the  sick  master 
she  had  forgotten  everything  else. 

"  Where  is  the  child?  "  she  suddenly  cried  out 
in  great  anxiety.  "  Good  gracious,  where  is  she  ? 
She  must  have  run  into  the  garden." 

Mr.  Trius  had  suddenly  grown  more  lively. 
Throwing  the  gate  to  with  great  violence,  he 
turned  the  huge  key  before  pulling  it  rapidly  out. 
He  realized  that  Apollonie  was  capable  of  doing 
anything  in  her  excitement  about  the  lost  child. 

"Witch's  baggage!"  he  murmured  angrily. 

212 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

Swinging  his  stick  in  a  threatening  way,  he  ran 
towards  the  castle. 

"  Mr.  Triiis,"  Apollonie  screamed  after  him 
with  all  her  might,  "  if  you  touch  the  child  you 
will  have  to  reckon  with  me,  do  you  hear?  Hold 
the  stick  down.  She  can't  help  being  frightened 
if  she  sees  you." 

But  he  had  quickly  been  lost  from  view. 
While  Apollonie  and  Mr.  Trius  had  been  ab- 
sorbed in  their  violent  altercation  and  had  stared 
at  each  other,  she  in  wild  excitement  and  he  in 
stiff  immovability,  Mazli  had  slipped  from  be- 
tween the  two  as  swiftly  as  a  little  mouse.  Then 
she  had  merrily  wandered  up  towards  the  castle 
hoping  that  she  would  soon  see  the  garden  with 
the  lovely  flowers.  But  all  she  could  see  were 
wild  bushes  and  stretches  of  grass  with  only  the 
yellow  sparkling  flowers  which  grow  in  every 
common  meadow.  This  was  not  what  Mazli  had 
expected,  so  she  went  up  to  the  terrace  of  the 
castle  and  looked  about  from  there  for  the  flower 
garden.  At  the  end  of  the  terrace  where  the  little 
pine-wood  began  she  saw  something  that  looked 
like  fiery  yellow  flowers  and  quickly  ran  there. 
But  instead  of  flowers  she  saw  a  lion  skin  shining 
in  the  sun.    To  see  what  was  under  the  skin  Mazli 

213 


MAZLI 

came  closer.  A  head  was  raised  up  and  two 
sharp  eyes  were  directed  towards  her.  It  was  a 
man  who  had  half  raised  himself  on  the  long  chair 
which  was  covered  by  the  skin.  As  soon  as  she 
saw  that  it  was  a  human  being  and  not  a  Hon, 
she  came  nearer  and  asked  quite  confidentially, 
"Do  you  happen  to  know  where  the  beautiful 
old  mignonette  is,  that  mama  saw  in  the  gar- 
den here? " 

"  No,"  the  man  answered  curtly. 

"  Maybe  Mr.  Trius  knows,  but  one  can't  ask 
him.  Are  you  afraid  of  Mr.  Trius,  too?" 
Mazli  asked. 

"  No." 

"  But  he  always  goes  about  with  a  big  stick. 
Kurt  has  made  a  song  about  him  where  he  tells 
everything  that  Mr.  Trius  does,"  Mazli  chattered 
on.     "  It  begins  like  this : 

Old  Trius  lives  in  our  town. 

A  haughty  man  is  he, 
And  every  one  that  he  can  catch 

He  beats  right  heartily. 

I  don't  remember  the  rest,  but  it  is  quite  long. 
But  he  wants  to  make  a  song  about  Salo  now, 
because  he  is  so  awfully  nice.  He  said  it  as  soon 
as  Salo  went  away  to-day.     We  all  like  him,  and 

214 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

Bruno  said  that  if  he  made  a  stupid  song  he  would 
tear  it  up." 

"  Is  everybody  here  called  Salo  and  Bruno?  " 
the  gentleman  burst  out  angrily. 

"  No,  nobody  except  Bruno,  you  know;  he  is 
my  big  brother,"  Mazli  explained.  "  Salo  only 
came  yesterday  and  went  away  again  to-day. 
But  he  did  not  want  to  go  and  we  wanted  to  keep 
him.  But  he  was  not  allowed  to.  If  his  sister  is 
well  again,  she  has  to  go  away,  too.  But  we  don't 
know  her  yet.    Her  name  is  Leonore." 

"  Who  sent  you  here?  "  the  gentleman  ejacu- 
lated harshly.  But  Mazli  only  looked  at  him 
in  astonishment. 

"  Nobody  has  sent  me.  Nobody  knows  where 
I  am,  not  even  Apollonie,"  Mazli  began  to  ex- 
plain. "  I  only  ran  away  because  Apollonie  had 
to  tell  Mr.  Trius  so  many  things  and  I  wanted 
to  see  the  mignonette.  I  am  visiting  Apollonie 
because  mama  has  to  nurse  Leonore,  who  is  il] 
and  can't  come  down.  Because  I  don't  obey 
Kathy  very  well  and  she  has  to  cook,  I  spend  the 
days  with  Apollonie.  Oh,  here  he  comes!  "  Mazli 
interrupted  herself  suddenly,  for  she  was  fright- 
ened. Coming  close  to  her  new  acquaintance,  as 
if  to  seek  his  protection,  she  whispered  confiden- 

215 


MAZLI 

tially.  "  Oh,  won't  you  help  me,  please,  if  he 
tries  to  hurt  me?  " 

Mr.  Trius  was  rushing  towards  them,  holding 
out  his  stick  in  front  like  an  emblem  of  his  pro- 
fession. The  gentleman  only  made  a  light  ges- 
ture with  his  hand,  and  Mr.  Trius  disappeared 
as  he  had  come. 

"  Won't  he  hurt  me  if  I  come  down  to  the  door 
where  he  stands? "  Mazli  asked.  She  retreated 
slightly  from  her  protector,  whom  she  had  held 
tightly  in  her  fear  of  the  stick. 

"  No,"  he  replied  curtly,  but  his  voice  did  not 
sound  as  severe  as  before,  a  fact  which  Mazli 
noticed  immediately.  She  was  very  grateful  to 
him  for  chasing  Mr.  Trius  away  and  she  now  felt 
desirous  of  doing  him  a  service  in  return. 

"  Do  you  always  have  to  sit  alone  here  all  the 
time?  Does  no  one  come  to  see  you?  "  she  asked, 
full  of  sympathy. 

"  No." 

"  Oh,  then  I  must  come  to  you  another  time 
and  I'll  keep  you  company,"  Mazli  said  consol- 
ingly. "  Does  the  bad  baron  never  come  down 
to  you  here?  "  she  asked  anxiously. 

"  Where  is  he?  "  came  a  second  question, 

"  Don't  you  know  that?  "  Mazli  said  in  great 
216 


THE  MOTHERS  ABSENCE 

surprise.  "  He  is  up  there  where  the  windows 
are  open."  With  this  Mazli  looked  up,  and  walk- 
ing close  to  the  chair,  whispered  cautiously,  "  A 
sick  baron  lies  up  there.  Apollonie  says  that  he  is 
not  bad,  but  I  know  that  one  has  to  be  afraid  of 
him.    Are  you  afraid  of  him?  " 

"  No." 

"  Then  I  won't  be  afraid  of  him  either," 
Mazli  remarked,  quite  reassured.  The  gentle- 
man who  had  chased  away  Mr.  Trius  so  easily 
and  was  not  afraid  of  the  bad  baron  gave  her  all 
the  confidence  in  the  world.  Under  his  protection 
she  could  face  every  danger. 

"  I'll  go  home  now,  but  I'll  come  soon  again," 
and  with  this  Mazli  gave  her  hand  in  a  most  win- 
ning way.  When  she  wanted  to  say  good-bye  she 
realized  that  she  did  not  know  either  the  gentle- 
man's name  or  title,  so  she  stopped. 

"  I  am  the  Castle  Steward,"  said  the  gentle- 
man, helping  Mazli.  When  the  leave-taking  was 
done  Mazli  ran  back  towards  the  door.  Sure 
enough,  Mr.  Trius  was  standing  inside  the  portals 
and  Apollonie  on  the  outside,  for  the  careful  man 
had  not  opened  them  again.  He  thought  that  the 
excited  woman  might  forcibly  enter  the  garden  in 
order  to  seek  the  child. 

217 


MAZLI 

"  God  be  thanked  that  you  are  here  again! " 
she  cried  when  Mazli  came  out.  She  quickly  took 
her  hand.  Mr.  Trius,  after  violently  shutting 
the  gate,  had  immediately  turned  his  back  upon 
the  visitors. 

"  I  was  simply  frightened  to  death,  Mazli. 
How  could  you  run  away  from  me?  I  did  not 
know  where  you  had  got  to." 

"  You  didn't  need  to  be  so  frightened,"  Mazli 
said  with  calm  assurance.  "  I  was  with  the  Castle- 
Steward.  I  don't  need  to  be  afraid  of  anything 
with  him,  not  even  of  Mr.  Trius." 

"  What,  the  Castle-Steward!  What  are  you 
saying,  Mazli?  Who  said  it  was  the  Steward?  " 
Apollonie's  words  were  full  of  anxiety,  as  if 
Mazli  might  be  threatened  with  great  danger. 

"  He  told  me  so  himself.  He  was  sitting  all 
alone  under  a  big  tree.  He  sits  there  alone  all 
the  time.  But  I  am  going  up  to  see  him  soon 
again,"  Mazli  informed  her. 

"  No,  no,  Mazli,  what  are  you  thinking  of? 
You  can't  do  it  if  he  has  not  told  you  to.  I  am 
sure  Mr.  Trius  will  see  that  you  won't  get  in  there 
any  more,"  said  Apollonie.  and  she  was  quite  sure 
that  Mazli's  plan  would  never  succeed. 

218 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

But  if  Mazli  ever  made  a  discovery,  she  was 
riot  easily  led  away. 

"  Yes,  but  he  won't  be  allowed  to  stop  me," 
she  said  a  little  scornfully. 

That  evening  Loneli  was  allowed  to  bring 
Mazli  home.  She  always  loved  to  go  to  Mrs. 
Maxa's  house,  because  Kurt  and  Mea  were  her 
best  friends.  Loneli  was  always  so  friendly  and 
obliging  to  everybody  that  the  school  children  oft- 
en asked  her  to  deliver  messages.  This  often  took 
place  in  cases  of  estrangements  when  a  third  per- 
son was  needed.  Loneli  had  been  asked  after 
school  to-day  to  give  a  message  to  Mea  and  she 
was  glad  of  the  chance  to  deliver  it. 

Mea  had  sent  a  proposal  of  peace  to  Elvira 
through  Loneli,  for  she  hated  the  constant  sulking 
of  her  friend  and  the  unpleasant  new  manner  she 
exhibited  in  turning  her  back  upon  her.  Mea  had 
twice  before  tried  to  be  reconciled  to  the  embit- 
tered Elvira,  but  unfortunately  in  vain.  She  did 
not  dare  to  admit  this  to  Kurt,  who  would  not 
have  approved  of  her  behaviour  but  would  have 
even  made  a  horrible  song  about  it.  But  one 
could  always  rely  on  Loneli,  who  was  discreet. 
Mea,  standing  at  the  window,  saw  Loneli  coming 
towards  the  house  and  ran  down  to  meet  her. 

219 


MAZLI 

"  I  have  to  tell  you  something  terribly  sad 
about  Elvira,"  Loneli  said,  quite  downcast. 

"What  is  it?    What  is  it?  "  Mea  asked. 

"  She  doesn't  ever  want  to  renew  her  friend- 
ship with  you  and  she  has  asked  me  to  tell  you 
that.  You  may  be  sure  that  I  should  not  tell  you 
if  I  did  not  have  to,"  Loneli  added,  "  because  it 
makes  me  so  sad." 

Mea  reflected  a  moment,  wondering  what  she 
had  really  done.  All  she  had  been  guilty  of  was 
accusing  Elvira  of  an  act  of  injustice.  So  all 
friendly  feelings  between  them  were  to  be  with- 
drawn for  all  time  as  her  punishment. 

"  Elvira  can  sulk  for  the  rest  of  eternity,  if 
she  wants  to,"  Mea  said  now  without  the  slightest 
trace  of  sadness.  Loneli  was  greatly  surprised. 
"  There  are  other  people  in  this  world  besides  her. 
I  should  have  loved  to  tell  Elvira  who  was  staying 
with  us.  Never  has  anybody  been  so  nice  and 
pleased  us  so.  I  wish  I  could  have  told  her  who 
is  here  now,  though  we  don't  know  her  yet;  but 
Elvira  keeps  on  turning  her  back  on  me.  You 
see,  Loneli,  the  nicest  boy,  about  Bruno's  age, 
came  to  see  us,  and  his  sister  is  sick  upstairs.  We 
are  not  allowed  to  see  her  just  yet,  but  I  can 
hardly  wait  till  she  comes  down.     If  she  is  as  nice 

220 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

as  her  brother,  she  is  the  nicest  child  any  of  us 
have  ever  seen." 

At  this  description  Loneli's  vivacious  eyes 
fairly  gleamed  with  sympathy. 

"  What  is  her  name,"  she  asked  expectantly. 

"  Leonore,"  Mea  answered. 

"  Oh,"  Loneli  immediately  began,  "  my 
grandmother  also  knew  a  young  lady  called  Leo- 
nore. She  always  says  that  that  young  lady  was 
as  lovely  as  an  angel  and  that  there  could  not  be 
anybody  in  the  world  as  wonderful  as  she." 

"  I  am  rather  glad  if  Leonore  is  not  like  an 
angel,  for  she  might  not  be  my  friend  then,"  Mea 
said  quickly.  "  Elvira  even,  who  certainly  is  not 
at  all  like  an  angel,  has  to  break  her  friendship 
with  me  every  few  weeks." 

"  Maybe  she  does  that  because  she  is  so  little 
like  an  angel,"  Loneli  suggested. 

At  this  both  children  laughed.  Often  Loneli 
found  exactly  the  right  word  to  say  which  would 
throw  light  on  the  matter.  Kurt  always  enjoyed 
these  remarks  of  hers. 

At  that  moment  shrieks  of  joy  sounded  from 
the  house:  "  Mama  is  coming!    Mama  is  coming! 

Lippo,  the  watchman,  had  posted  himself 
again  on  the  stairs  as  soon  as  he  had  returned 

221 


MAZLI 

from  school,  and  he  had  found  ample  work  there. 
Kurt  had  again  forgotten  the  command  and  had 
to  be  chased  away,  and  even  Bruno  had  made 
an  attempt  to  quietly  steal  up  to  his  mother.  But 
all  this  had  only  brought  horrified  cries  from 
the  little  boy. 

They  had  both  meant  no  wrong  whatever. 
All  they  had  wanted  was  to  quickly  say  a  word 
to  the  mother  through  the  open  door.  Neverthe- 
less, Lippo  had  grown  terribly  wrought  up  about 
it.  A  firm  command  had  been  given,  and  they 
had  tried  to  break  it,  so  they  all  had  been  obliged 
to  give  way  before  his  violent  noise. 

A  strange  gentleman  had  come,  too,  who  was 
half-way  up  the  stairs  with  two  leaps.  But  Lippo 
had  grabbed  the  tails  of  his  coat  and,  holding  on  to 
them  with  both  hands,  shrieked,  "  Nobody  is 
allowed  to  go  up.    You  must  not  go  up." 

Laughingly  turning  about,  the  gentleman 
said,  "  Just  let  me  go,  little  one.  I  am  allowed 
because  I  am  the  doctor.  Your  uncle  told  me 
where  to  go,  so  I'll  easily  find  my  way.  But  I'll 
make  use  of  you  some  day,  for  you  are  a  splen- 
did sentinel." 

When  the  doctor  on  his  return  found  him  still 
on  the  same  spot,  he  called  him  a  pillar  of  good 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

order  and  told  him  that  he  would  send  for  him  if 
he  should  ever  need  a  reliable  watchman. 

Soon  after,  Lippo  uttered  sudden  shouts  of 
joy,  for  he  saw  his  mother  coming  downstairs. 
What  a  surprise  it  was  to  see  her  when  they  had 
thought  that  she  would  be  shut  up  for  one  or 
two  days  longer! 

"  Mama  is  coming!    Mama  is  coming!  " 

All  had  heard  his  exclamations  and  Mea  was 
the  first  to  appear,  pulling  Loneli  after  her. 
Bruno  came  rushing  from  one  side  and  Kurt  from 
the  other,  and  Mazli  shot  like  an  arrow  right 
into  their  midst.  The  mother  found  herself 
solidly  surrounded. 

"  Mama,  just  think " 

"  Oh,  listen,  mama!  " 

"  Oh,  mama,  I  want  to  tell  you " 

"Do  you  know,  mama? " 

This  came  from  all  sides  and  all  at  once. 

"  To-morrow,  children,  to-morrow,"  said  the 
mother.  "  We  must  be  very  happy  that  we  can 
see  each  other  so  soon  again.  I  wanted  to  send 
one  of  you  to  Apollonie,  but  I  am  glad  to  see 
you  here,  Loneli." 

Mrs.  Maxa  now  told  Loneli  the  message  she 
was  to  take  to  her  grandmother.     The  doctor  had 


MAZLI 

just  been  there  and  had  found  Leonore  much 
better  already.  As  her  fever  had  gone  down,  he 
feared  no  serious  illness.  Leonore  was  to  spend 
several  more  days  in  bed  and  therefore  she  was  to 
have  a  nurse  who  could  also  take  care  of  her  at 
night-time.  For  this  nobody  better  than  grand- 
mother Apollonie  could  be  found,  and  Mrs.  Maxa 
would  be  so  glad  for  her  patient's  and  her  own 
sake  if  she  could  arrange  to  come  to  the  house  for 
several  days  and  nights.  She  told  Loneli  to  tell 
her  grandmother  that  the  little  girl  was  named 
Leonore  and  that  Mrs.  Maxa  was  quite  sure  she 
would  not  be  hard  to  take  care  of. 

The  mother  would  not  allow  herself  to  be 
detained  any  longer.  To  all  the  questions  which 
stormed  in  upon  her  she  only  had  one  answer: 
"  To-morrow,  children,  to-morrow."  Then  she 
disappeared  again  into  the  sick  room. 

"  Please  tell  me  what  she  is  like,  when  you 
have  seen  her.  I  am  so  curious,"  said  Loneli, 
taking  leave,  and  Mea  promised  to  give  the  sym- 
pathetic Loneli  a  full  report  of  everything. 

Next  morning  extremely  early  Apollonie  ap- 
peared at  Mrs.  Maxa's  house.  As  the  door  was 
not  open  yet,  she  knocked  quietly  and  after  a 
while  Kathy  appeared  with  heavy,  sleepy  eyes. 

224 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

"  Why  should  anybody  rush  about  at  this 
early  hour,"  she  said  a  little  angrily.  It  did  not 
suit  her  at  all  that  Apollonie  should  have  found 
out  what  a  short  time  she  had  been  astir. 

"  I  begin  my  day  at  this  hour,"  said  Apollonie, 
"  and  there  is  no  need  for  me  to  rush  about.  I 
can  leave  that  to  those  who  get  up  late.  I  have 
come  to  take  Mrs.  Rector's  place  in  the  sick  room." 

"  She  hasn't  even  called  yet,"  Kathy  flung  out. 

"  So  much  the  better,  then  I  have  at  least  not 
come  too  late.  I  can  find  some  work  every- 
where," and  with  this  Apollonie  entered  the  living 
room  and  began  to  set  it  in  order. 

Kathy  did  not  hinder  her  and,  to  show  her 
gratitude,  attempted  to  start  a  little  conversation. 
But  Apollonie  was  not  in  the  mood  for  that.  She 
was  solely  filled  by  the  question  who  the  sick 
Leonore  was  that  she  was  going  to  nurse.  Could 
it  be  possible? 

That  moment  a  bell  sounded  from  upstairs, 
and  Apollonie  obeyed  the  call.  Mrs.  Maxa, 
opening  the  door,  let  her  enter.  Wide  awake, 
Leonore  was  sitting  up  in  bed.  Her  thick,  curly 
hair  was  falling  far  down  below  her  shoulders, 
and  her  dark,  solemn  eyes  were  gazing  with  sur- 
prise at  Apollonie.  The  latter  looked  immovably 

15  225 


MAZLI 

at  the  little  girl,  while  tears  were  coursing  down 
her  cheeks. 

"  Oh,  oh,"  she  said,  as  soon  as  she  was  able 
to  control  her  emotion,  "  one  does  not  need  to  ask 
where  our  little  Leonore  comes  from.  It  seems  to 
me  as  if  old  times  had  come  back  again.  Yes,  she 
looked  exactly  like  that  when  she  came  to  the 
castle ;  only  she  was  not  quite  so  pale." 

"  Leonore,"  Mrs.  Maxa  said,  "  Mrs.  Apol- 
lonie  has  known  both  your  father  and  mother  very 
well.  So  I  thought  that  you  would  like  to  have 
her  for  a  nurse." 

"  Certainly,"  Leonore  replied  happily,  while 
she  stretched  out  her  hand  in  a  friendly  manner 
towards  Apollonie.  "  Won't  you  tell  me  every- 
thing you  know  about  them? "  Apollonie  was 
only  too  glad  to  do  that,  but  in  her  agitation  she 
had  first  to  wipe  her  eyes. 

There  was  no  end  to  the  children's  enthusiasm 
when  they  found  that  their  mother  was  to  be  their 
own  again.  The  unaccustomed  separation  had 
seemed  much  longer  and  harder  to  bear  than  they 
had  imagined,  but  it  was  all  over  now,  she  was 
back  and  would  be  theirs  now  for  all  time  to  come. 

Bruno  suggested  that  they  should  divide  up 
their  mother's  time  between  them  to-day.     This 

226 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

would  make  it  possible  for  all  to  get  her  hearing 
separately.  In  all  this  time  a  great  deal  of  mat- 
ter had  accumulated  which  was  crying  to  be  heard. 
If  they  were  all  to  talk  to  her  at  once,  as  had 
happened  several  times  before,  no  one  would  have 
any  satisfaction,  as  she  might  not  even  be  able  to 
understand  them.  So  it  was  settled  that  every 
child  should  have  their  mother  alone  for  an  hour, 
and  they  were  to  take  their  turns  according  to  age. 

"  So  of  course  the  first  hour  after  school  from 
eleven  till  twelve  belongs  to  me,"  was  Bruno's 
statement. 

"  From  one  till  two  I  shall  have  my  turn," 
Mea  cried  out.  She  was  counting  on  asking  her 
mother  so  many  questions  that  they  might  easily 
take  three  hours.  She  had  no  communications  to 
make  but  she  was  terribly  eager  to  hear  all 
about  Leonore. 

"I'll  get  the  time  between  four  and  five 
o'clock,"  said  Kurt.  This  term  suited  him  ex- 
actly, as  he  had  a  secret  hope  of  prolonging  it 
somewhat.  The  two  little  ones  were  to  have  the 
remaining  time  before  supper,  and  Kurt  thought 
that  they  could  not  have  very  much  to  tell,  whereas 
he  was  in  need  of  a  great  deal  of  advice. 

The  mother  had  been  quite  certain  that  Bruno 
227 


MAZLI 

in  his  interview  with  her  would  make  a  last,  des- 
perate effort  to  escape  having  to  live  with  the 
Knippel  boys.  What  was  her  surprise  when  she 
found  that  this  had  been  entirely  pushed  into 
the  background  by  his  lively  sympathy  in 
Salo's  destiny. 

Bruno's  thoughts  were  constantly  occupied  by 
the  thought  that  his  new,  charming  friend  stood 
entirely  alone  in  the  world.  As  Salo  had  no  one 
who  could  help  him  to  find  a  home,  Bruno  hoped 
that  his  mother  would  be  able  to  give  him  some 
advice.  He  felt  sure  that  she  would  gladly  do 
this,  for  she  loved  both  children  tenderly,  as  she 
had  formerly  loved  their  parents. 

The  boy  had  been  absolutely  right  when  he 
supposed  that  Mrs.  Maxa  would  be  glad  to  help 
them,  but  she  had  to  tell  Bruno  frankly  that  there 
was  no  advice  she  was  able  to  give.  She  had  no 
authority  over  the  children  and  could  therefore  do 
nothing,  as  everything  depended  on  Salo's  early 
completion  of  his  studies  so  that  he  could  choose 
an  occupation.  This  would  have  to  be  settled 
by  the  gentleman  of  whom  Salo  had  spoken.  He 
was  probably  a  relation  of  their  mother's  who  had 
undertaken  the  care  of  the  children. 

Bruno  was  terribly  cast  down  when  he  heard 

228 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

this.  When  his  mother  did  not  give  him  help  and 
counsel  right  away,  she  usually  gave  him  some 
hope  by  saying,  "  We  shall  see."^  As  she  had  not 
said  this  to-day,  he  felt  certain  that  nothing  could 
be  done.  But  the  mother's  unhappy  face  showed 
to  Bruno  that  her  disability  did  not  come  from  a 
lack  of  sympathy,  and  that  it  pained  her  very 
much  that  she  could  do  nothing. 

When  Bruno  came  out  of  the  room  he  was 
very  silent  and  sadder  than  he  had  ever  been  in 
his  life. 

Mea,  on  the  contrary,  came  skipping  out  from 
her  interview.  Her  mother  had  told  her  that 
Leonore  was  charming,  refined  and  modest,  be- 
sides being  extremely  grateful  for  every  little 
favor.  But  what  thrilled  Mea  beyond  every- 
thing was  that  Leonore  had  repeatedly  told  her 
mother  how  much  she  looked  forward  to  meeting 
her,  because  the  two  were  of  an  age.  Leonore's 
only  fear  was  that  Mea  might  find  her  rather 
tiresome.  All  the  girls  in  the  boarding  school  had 
always  accused  her  of  that,  for  she  was  often  ter- 
ribly unhappy,  and  she  could  not  help  it.  Mea 
was  more  eager  than  ever  now  to  meet  Leonore, 
for  she  was  already  filled  with  a  warm  love  for 

229 


MAZLI 

the  sick  child.     She  could  talk  and  think  of  prac- 
tically nothing  but  Leonore. 

"  I  certainly  have  to  make  a  song  about 
this  violent  new  friendship,"  Kurt  said  in  the 
evening,  when  Mea  had  urged  more  than  once, 
"  Oh,  mother,  I  hope  you  won't  let  Leonore  go 
as  soon  as  she  can  come  down  and  the  doctor 
says  she  is  well ;  otherwise  we  shall  barely  be  able 
to  become  acquainted." 

Mea  flared  like  a  rocket  at  her  brother's  sug- 
gestion, crying  violently,  "  Indeed  you  won't, 
Kurt." 

"  Mea,  Mea,"  the  mother  admonished  her,  "  I 
propose  to  do  all  I  can  to  keep  Leonore  here  as 
long  as  possible,  but — " 

"  But,  Mea,  she  might  be  put  to  flight  with 
fear  and  never  be  seen  again  if  you  attack  your 
poor  brothers  in  such  a  way,"  Kurt  quickly  con- 
cluded the  mother's  sentence. 

Mea  had  to  laugh  over  this  speech,  which  little 
resembled  her  mother's  style  of  talking. 

"  My  dear  Kurt,"  she  said,  "  I  am  quite  able 
to  complete  a  sentence  without  your  assistance. 
I  wanted  to  say  that  I  should  not  be  able  to  do 
very  much,  because  the  ladies  will  take  Leonore 
when  it  suits  them  best.     I  have  to  admit,  how- 

230 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

ever,  that  there  was  some  truth  in  Kurt's  reply. 
Leonore  has  such  a  delicate,  refined  nature  that 
it  might  frighten  her  to  see  you  carried  away  by 
such  passion,  Mea." 

When  the  doctor  came  back  again  in  two 
days  he  was  surprised  at  the  improved  condition 
of  his  little  patient.  "  If  she  was  not  so  very 
young,"  the  doctor  said  to  Mrs.  Maxa  while  she 
accompanied  him  out  of  the  room,  "  I  should  say 
that  her  illness  came  largely  from  some  hidden 
sorrow  and  inner  suffering.  She  has  apparently 
been  able  to  shake  it  off  in  the  good  care  and  affec- 
tionate treatment  she  is  getting  here.  But  I  can 
scarcely  believe  this  of  a  child." 

When  Mrs.  Maxa  asked  him  how  soon  Leo- 
nore could  leave  the  room  and  spend  the  day 
with  her  very  active  children,  he  answered,  "She 
can  do  it  from  to-morrow  on.  Nothing 
can  possibly  refresh  her  more  than  some 
lively  playmates." 

With  this  he  took  his  leave.  Going  down- 
stairs, he  met  Apollonie,  who  was  just  coming 
up  with  a  supper-tray  laden  with  delicate  dishes 
for  the  sick  child. 

"  That  is  right,"  said  the  doctor ;  "  it  gives 
one  an  appetite  only  to  look  at  it." 

231 


MAZLI 

"  Yes,  the  poor  child  eats  like  a  little  bird," 
said  Apollonie;  "  but  Mrs.  Rector  says  that  there 
must  be  things  to  choose  from  in  order  to  tempt 
her.  How  is  she  getting  along,  doctor?  Do  you 
think  she'll  get  well  again?  Isn't  she  just  like 
a  little  angel? " 

"  That  is  hard  for  me  to  say,  as  I  do  not  know 
any  angels,"  he  said  smiling,  "  but  she  might  be 
for  all  I  know.  I  am  sure  that  she  will  get  well 
with  careful  nursing,  and  you  are  sure  to  see  to 
that,  Mrs.  Apollonie.  You  seem  to  think  that  in 
being  given  care  of  the  child  you  have  drawn  the 
big  prize  in  the  lottery." 

"  Indeed  I  have.  I  really  have,"  she  cried 
after  him. 

No  event  had  ever  been  looked  forward  to 
with  such  great  suspense  in  Mrs.  Maxa's  house 
as  the  appearance  of  Leonore.  As  soon  as  all  the 
children  were  home  from  school  the  next  morn- 
ing, their  mother  fetched  her  down.  The  three 
older  ones  were  standing  expectantly  together  in 
a  little  group,  while  the  two  smaller  ones  had 
placed  themselves  with  wide-open  eyes  near 
the  door.  Leonore,  entering,  greeted  one  after 
the  other  in  such  an  engaging,  confidential  way 
that  she  made  them  feel  as  if  they  were  old 

232 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

friends.  She  loved  their  mother  so  much  and 
had  been  so  closely  drawn  to  her  that  she  was 
fond  of  the  children  before  she  had  even  seen 
them.  This  pleased  them  tremendously,  for  they 
had  expected  Leonore  to  be  very  different  from 
themselves  and  had  been  rather  afraid  of  her. 
As  soon  as  they  saw  her,  they  felt  that  they  might 
each  be  special  friends  with  their  charming  guest. 
Leonore  found  herself  surrounded  by  them  all 
in  a  corner  of  the  sofa.  As  she  did  not  look  at 
all  strong  yet,  the  mother  had  led  her  there. 
Leonore  tried  to  answer  all  the  questions,  listen 
to  all  the  projects  and  information  which  were 
showered  upon  her,  while  her  eyes  danced  with 
merriment.  These  unusual  surroundings  made 
Leonore  so  happy  that  her  face  became  quite  rosy. 
Mea  had  been  already  completed  in  her  mind  a 
plan  which,  if  it  succeeded,  would  make  it  pos- 
sible for  her  to  have  Leonore  to  herself  sometimes. 
Since  all  her  brothers  and  sisters  liked  the  visitor 
so  much,  it  was  not  easy  to  get  her  off  alone.  If 
only  her  mother  would  sanction  the  plan !  That 
day  Mea  had  to  set  the  table,  and  when  lunch  time 
had  come,  she  quickly  ran  to  her  mother  to  ask  her 
if  she  might  take  Apollonie's  place  in  Leonore's 
room,  and  to  her  great  delight  she  willingly  con- 

233 


MAZLI 

sented.  Mea  told  her  she  would  only  be  too  glad 
to  wait  on  Leonore  at  night  if  she  could  but  be 
with  her.  Leonore  really  needed  no  more  special 
care,  and  in  case  of  an  emergency  Mea  could 
easily  run  down  to  fetch  her  mother. 

"  Leonore  will  mean  more  to  you  than  she  will 
ever  realize,"  the  mother  concluded,  "  and  I  feel 
very  gratified  if  you  can  do  something  for 
her,  too." 

Mrs.  Maxa  then  informed  Apollonie  of  the 
new  plan,  and  she  felt  sure  that  the  latter  would 
be  glad  to  get  home  again. 

"  I  do  everything  in  my  power  for  that  angel," 
she  exclaimed.  "  I  should  go  to  live  in  the  desert 
if  only  I  could  procure  a  home  for  her." 

After  dinner  she  went  to  Leonore  to  say  good- 
bye, and  the  child  pressed  her  hand  most  warmly, 
thanking  her  for  the  good  care  she  had  received. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  how  kind  you  have  been, 
Apollonie,"  she  said  heartily.  "  I  shall  come  to 
see  you  as  soon  as  I  am  allowed  to  go.  I  hope 
that  we  shall  see  each  other  very  often." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  hope  so!  Please  ask  Mrs.  Rector 
to  let  you  come  to  me  as  often  as  possible,"  said 
Apollonie  before  leaving. 

Leonore  now  told  the  children  that  Apollonie 

234 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

had  very  vividly  described  to  her  the  lovely  home 
of  her  parents  and  the  wonderful  life  in  the  castle. 
She  had  said  frankly  that  she  would  never  desire 
such  a  fine  home,  if  only  Salo  and  she  could  call  a 
little  house  their  own,  so  the  good-hearted  Apol- 
lonie  had  suggested  that  they  might  live  with  her. 
She  could  easily  let  them  have  the  whole  cottage 
with  the  exception  of  a  tiny  chamber.  She  could 
wait  on  them,  and  what  more  could  they  desire? 
Leonore  had  felt  that  this  would  be  better  than 
anything  she  had  dreamed  of,  as  she  could  come 
over  to  Mrs.  Maxa  and  her  children  as  often  as 
she  pleased.  How  happy  Salo  would  be  if  she 
wrote  him  about  it. 

"  Yes,  you  can,"  Mazli  declared.  "  Her  house 
is  a  lovely  place  to  live  in.  Loneli  is  there,  who 
does  everything  one  wants  her  to,  and  Apollonie 
always  cooks  what  one  likes  best." 

Kurt  made  a  little  enigmatical  remark  to 
Mazli  about  her  greed,  but  before  she  could  have 
it  explained  to  her,  the  mother  turned  to  Leonore. 

"  I  do  not  want  you  to  be  deluded  by  this 
thought,  dear  child,"  she  said,  "  for  that  might 
only  bring  you  disappointment.  As  soon  as  you 
are  well,  you  can  walk  to  Apollonie's  cottage  and 
then  you  will  see  what  a  tiny  place  it  is.     The 

235 


MAZLI 

great  obstacle  of  Salo's  studies  would  not  be  put 
aside  in  that  way,  either,  for  he  could  not  join  you 
there  for  years." 

"  Oh,  I  was  thinking  all  the  time  how  lovely 
it  would  be  to  live  with  Apollonie !  It  would  be 
so  wonderful — I  could  live  with  her  there  and 
Salo  could  come  to  us  in  the  holidays  till  he  is 
through  with  his  studies.  Then  we  could  both 
settle  here  in  the  neighborhood." 

Leonore  had  been  counting  on  this  new  scheme 
and  she  looked  up  at  Mrs.  Maxa  as  if  she  longed 
for  her  consent.  As  Mrs.  Maxa  did  not  have  the 
heart  to  shatter  the  child's  hopes  completely,  she 
decided  to  let  the  matter  rest  for  the  present.  A? 
soon  as  they  could  visit  Apollonie,  Leonore  could 
judge  for  herself  how  impossible  the  plan  was. 

Leonore's  eyes  were  usually  very  sad,  but 
occasionally  she  would  look  quite  merry,  and  it 
was  so  that  she  appeared  that  evening  when  the 
children  were  surrounding  her  on  all  sides.  When 
each  had  to  tell  her  so  much  and  tried  to  be  near- 
est her,  she  experienced  the  feeling  that  she  had 
come  to  a  family  to  which  she  really  belonged. 
Each  of  the  children  had  founded  a  special  rela- 
tion with  Leonore.  Bruno  saw  himself  as  her 
protector  and  adviser,  and  as  her  brother's  close 

236 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

friend  he  meant  to  keep  an  active  watch  over 
her.  Mea,  whose  thoughts  had  been  completely 
absorbed  for  days  in  her  new  friend,  brought  her 
all  the  warmth  of  a  heart  which  craved  friendship 
passionately.  Kurt  had  made  it  his  duty  to  cheer 
up  the  rather  melancholy  child  as  much  as  was  in 
his  power.  Lippo,  still  filled  a  little  with  his 
post  of  sentinel,  always  came  close  to  her  as  if  he 
still  needed  to  watch  over  her.  Mazli  was  of 
the  firm  opinion  that  she  had  to  entertain  the 
guest,  so  she  would  relate  fragments  of  funny 
things  she  knew,  passing  from  one  to  another. 
In  this  way  Leonore  got  to  hear  of  the  Knippel 
family.  The  time  passed  so  quickly  that  loud 
laments  were  heard  when  the  mother  announced 
that  it  was  time  for  Leonore  to  retire.  She  did 
not  want  her  strength  to  be  overtaxed  on  her  first 
day  out  of  bed. 

"  We  shall  have  many  more  days  after  this 
when  we  can  be  together,"  she  added.  "  Let  us 
be  glad  of  that." 

"  There  might  not  be  so  many,  for  I  feel  quite 
well  already,"  Leonore  said  with  a  sigh. 

Mrs.  Maxa  smiled. 

"  We  must  thank  God  for  that.  But  you 
need  to  get  strong,  and  I  hope  that  you  may  find 

237 


MAZLI 

the  needed  recreation  and  change  here."  Then 
she  accompanied  the  two  girls  up  to  their  room 
at  the  top  of  the  house.  As  Mea  was  to  be 
Leonore's  sole  nurse  from  now  on,  Mrs.  Maxa 
wanted  to  reassure  herself  that  nothing  was  miss- 
ing. It  was  in  Mea's  nature  to  endow  every  new 
friend  with  marvellous  qualities.  Her  imagina- 
tion was  always  as  active  as  her  heart,  which  she 
gave  unreservedly  on  such  occasions.  Unfortu- 
nately Mea  suffered  many  disappointments  in 
that  way,  because  on  nearer  acquaintance  her 
friends  very  seldom  came  up  to  her  expectations. 
She  always  tried  hard  to  hold  on  to  the  original 
image,  even  if  it  did  not  in  the  least  coincide  with 
what  her  friends  proved  to  be  in  reality  and  this 
brought  on  numberless  fights  with  Kurt,  who, 
with  his  usual  shrewdness,  could  not  help  reveal- 
ing to  her  the  real  state  of  affairs.  This  always 
disillusioned  her  finally,  for  it  was  hard  to  deny 
his  proofs.  Whenever  another  girl  woke  a  pas- 
sionate love  in  her,  she  was  bound  to  expect  some- 
thing unusual  from  her. 

A  week  had  passed  since  Leonore  had  spent 
her  first  day  as  convalescent  among  the  family. 
As  Mea  had  the  privilege  of  being  in  the  closest, 
most  intimate  contact  with  her  new  friend  in  the 

238 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

late  evening  hours,  she  was  in  a  state  of  perfect 
bliss.  Every  moment  of  the  day  that  she  was 
home  she  tried  to  be  at  Leonore's  side  and  in  her 
walks  to  and  from  school  there  existed  for  her 
no  other  subject  of  conversation  than  Leonore. 

It  was  quite  unusual  that  Kurt  had  not  pro- 
duced a  rhyme  about  her  great  devotion.  He  had 
not  once  said:  "  Things  will  be  different  after  a 
while."  Brother  and  sister  this  time  were  entirely 
of  one  opinion  about  her :  it  even  seemed  as  if  Kurt 
himself  had  caught  a  touch  of  the  friendship  fever, 
as  he  used  to  call  Mea's  great  devotion. 

Apparently  Bruno  was  of  the  same  opinion, 
too.  In  all  his  free  hours  he  used  to  sit  in  a  corner 
of  the  room  with  his  books,  paying  no  attention 
to  anything  else,  but  since  Leonore  had  come  he 
always  joined  the  merry  group  and  generally  had 
something  to  relate  or  to  show  for  Leonore's  en- 
tertainment. This  he  did  in  a  quiet,  gentler  man- 
ner, such  that  it  seemed  as  if  he  would  hardly 
have  behaved  otherwise. 

Lippo  felt  so  comfortable  in  Leonore's  pres- 
ence that  he  always  kept  as  close  to  her  as  pos- 
sible. Even  when  he  told  his  experiences  at  great 
length,  she  never  became  impatient,  but  encour- 

239 


MAZLI 

aged  him  to  go  on  when  his  brothers  and  sisters 
made  sarcastic  remarks  about  him. 

From  time  to  time  he  would  confidentially  say 
to  her :  "  Just  stay  with  us  always,  Leonore.  You 
are  at  home  here  now,  even  if  you  have  no  home 
anywhere  else."  This  was  uttered  in  a  spirit  of 
utter  conviction,  as  the  little  boy  had  heard  it 
from  her  own  lips  and  was  sure  that  this  would 
be  the  best  for  them  all. 

Leonore  blushed  a  deep  scarlet  at  these  words, 
as  if  Lippo  had  pronounced  a  thought  she  did  not 
dare  to  foster  in  her  own  heart.  Once  his  mother 
had  noticed  this,  so  she  told  Lippo  one  evening, 
not  to  say  this  again.  As  it  was  impossible  to 
keep  Leonore,  it  was  much  better  not  to  speak  of 
it,  as  it  only  gave  her  pain.  As  this  was  a  firm  com- 
mand, Lippo  obeyed  faithfully.  He  kept  on, 
however,  showing  Leonore  that  he  loved  to  be 
with  her. 

Mazli's  love  for  Leonore  showed  itself  more 
than  anything  in  a  wish  to  lend  her  a  helping 
hand  in  many  things  which  the  little  girl  felt  her 
lovely  friend  stood  in  need  of.  She  had  seen 
quite  plainly  that  Leonore  often  became  very  sad 
when  everyone  else  about  her  was  laughing  and 
she  herself  had  been  quite  bright  a  moment  before. 

240 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

But  Mazli  knew  how  she  was  going  to  help.  She 
meant  to  tell  Apollonie  how  to  fit  up  her  cottage 
for  Leonore  and  Salo,  who,  she  hoped,  would 
spend  his  holidays  there,  too.  She  meant  to 
superintend  these  preparations  herself  and  to 
have  it  all  fixed  as  daintily  as  possible. 

By  this  time  Mea's  new  friend  was  adored  by 
the  whole  family,  and  they  showed  it  by  doing 
all  in  their  power  for  her.  They  had  agreed  that 
she  differed  absolutely  from  Mea's  former  friends. 
They  could  not  analyze  wherein  lay  the  charm 
which  pervaded  her  whole  personality.  The  chil- 
dren had  never  known  anybody  who  was  so  polite 
towards  everyone,  including  Kathy,  who  only 
spoke  affectionate,  tender  words,  and  always 
seemed  so  grateful  when  others  were  kind  to  her. 
This  spirit  was  something  new  and  extremely  de- 
lightful. They  had  to  admit  to  themselves  that 
they  wished  everybody  would  act  in  such  a  way, 
as  this  would  do  away  forever  with  the  fights 
and  altercations  that  had  always  arisen  between 
them,  and  for  which  they  were  afterwards  always 
sorrry.  The  only  thing  they  would  have  been 
glad  to  change  in  Leonore  were  her  sudden  fits 
of  gloom,  which  affected  them  all.  Leonore  tried 
very  hard  to  fight  these  depressing  thoughts,  but 

16  241 


MAZLI 

they  went  so  deep  that  she  seldom  succeeded. 
Their  mother  consoled  them  by  saying  that  Leo- 
nore  would  get  stronger  as  soon  as  she  could  take 
walks  with  them  in  the  woods  and  meadows,  and 
that  feelings  which  now  weighed  on  her  would 
then  seem  lighter. 

A  few  days  later  the  children,  including 
Leonore,  came  back  with  rosy  cheeks  and  glowing 
eyes  from  their  first  walk  to  the  surrounding 
hills.  The  fresh  mountain  breeze  had  exhilarated 
them  so  much  that  the  feeling  of  well-being  was 
laughing  from  their  young  faces.  Even  Leo- 
nore's  cheeks,  that  were  usually  so  pale,  were 
faintly  tinged  wfith  a  rosy  hue.  The  mother 
stepped  out  of  the  garden  into  the  road  in  order 
to  welcome  the  children. 

"  Oh,"  she  cried  out  joyfully.  "  This  first 
walk  has  been  splendid.  Leonore  looks  like  a 
fresh  apple-blossom." 

Taking  her  hand  with  great  tenderness  be- 
tween her  own,  she  gazed  at  her  very  closely  in 
order  to  rejoice  over  the  rosy  color  on  the  child's 
delicate  face.  That  moment  a  beggar-woman 
approached,  holding  by  each  hand  a  little  girl. 
The  children's  clothes  were  so  ragged  that  their 
little  bodies  were  scarcely  covered. 

242 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

Looking  at  Mrs.  Maxa,  the  beggar-woman 
said,  "  Yes,  yes,  children  can  make  one  happy 
enough  when  one  has  a  home.  You  are  a  fortu- 
nate lady  to  have  a  good  roof  for  your  own.  It 
would  be  better  for  two  such  homeless  ones  as  these 
not  to  exist!  They  are  sure  to  remain  homeless 
all  their  lives,  and  that  is  the  saddest  thing  of  all." 

With  that  she  stretched  out  her  hand,  for  Mrs. 
Maxa  was  looking  at  her  intently.  Leonore  had 
quickly  taken  off  her  shawl  and  jacket. 

"  May  I  give  it  to  them? "  she  asked  Mrs. 
Maxa  in  a  low  voice. 

The  beggar-woman  had  already  noticed  the 
girl's  gesture  and  stretched  out  her  hands  in 
her  direction. 

"  I  am  glad,  young  lady,  that  you  have  pity 
for  these  homeless  ones,  even  if  you  do  not  know 
what  that  means.    God  bless  you!  " 

Leonore  looked  imploringly  into  Mrs.  Maxa's 
face.  The  latter  nodded,  as  it  was  too  late  now 
to  explain  to  Leonore  what  action  would  have 
been  better.  She  made  up  her  mind  to  do  it 
afterwards1  for  similar  occasions.  With  many 
words  the  poor  woman  thanked  her  for  the  gift. 
She  was  very  anxious  to  kiss  the  young  lady's 
hand  for  the  two  garments,  but  Leonore  had 

243 


MAZLI 

immediately  run  away.  Mea  followed  and  found 
Leonore,  who  had  been  so  merry  on  the  walk, 
sitting  in  her  sofa-corner,  crying  bitterly  with  her 
head  between  her  hands. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Leonore?  Why  do  you 
cry  so  terribly?  "  Mea  asked,  quite  frightened. 

She  could  not  answer  at  once.  The  mother 
and  the  other  children-  had  come  in,  too,  and  now 
they  all  surrounded  the  sobbing  girl  in  great 
amazement  and  sympathy. 

"  That  is  the  way  I  am,"  she  said  at  last,  sob- 
bing aloud,  "  I  am  homeless  like  them.  Anyone 
who  is  homeless  has  to  remain  so  always,  and  it  is 
terrible.  That  is  what  the  woman  said,  and  I 
believe  her.  How  should  one  find  a  home  if  one 
can't  look  for  one?  " 

Leonore  had  never  before  broken  out  into 
such  passionate  grief.  Mrs.  Maxa  looked  at  her 
very  sorrowfully. 

"  She  is  a  real  Wallerstatten  at  the  bottom 
of  her  heart,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  That  will 
mean  more  struggles  for  her  than  I  thought." 

At  a  sign  from  her  the  children  plainly  under- 
stood that  she  asked  them  to  go  into  the  garden 
for  a  little  while.    Sitting  down  beside  Leonore, 

244 


THE  MOTHER'S  ABSENCE 

she  took  her  hand  between  her  own  and  waited  till 
the  violent  outbreak  had  ceased. 

Then  she  said  tenderly:  "  Oh,  Leonore,  don't 
you  remember  what  you  told  me  once  when  you 
were  ill  and  I  was  sitting  on  your  bed?  You  told 
me  that  you  found  a  song  among  your  mother's 
music  which  always  comforted  you  when  you 
seemed  to  lose  courage  and  confidence  in  God. 
You  said  that  it  always  made  you  feel  that  He 
was  not  forgetting  you  and  your  brother,  and 
that  he  is  looking  after  you  in  whatever  way  is 
best  for  you,  even  if  you  can't  recognize  it  now. 
Have  you  forgotten  this?  Can  you  tell  me  your 
favorite  verse  in  it?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  can,"  said  Leonore,  "  it  is  the 
verse : 

God,  who  disposest  all  things  well, 

I  want  but  what  thou  givest  me, 
Oh  how  can  we  thine  acts  foretell, 

When  Thou  art  far  more  wise  than  we? 

"  Yes,  I  always  feel  better  when  I  think  of 
that,"  Leonore  added  after  a  time  in  a  totally 
changed  voice.  "  It  makes  me  happy  because  I 
know  that  God  can  do  for  us  what  Salo  and  I  can't 
do  for  ourselves.  But  when  everything  stays  the 
same  for  so  long  and  there  is  no  prospect  of  any 

245 


MAZLI 

change,  it  is  so  hard  to  keep  this  faith.  If  we 
can't  do  anything  for  ourselves,  it  seems  as  if 
everything  would  have  to  be  that  way.  The 
woman  said  that  if  anybody  is  homeless  once,  he 
has  to  remain  that  way  for  the  rest  of  his  life." 

"  "No,  no,  Leonore,"  Mrs.  Maxa  answered, 
"  you  must  not  take  a  chance  word  seriously.  The 
poor  woman  only  said  it  because  she  saw  no  imme- 
diate help  for  her  children.  It  is  not  true  at  all. 
Of  course  you  can't  look  ahead  into  your  future, 
but  you  can  ask  God  to  give  you  full  confidence 
in  Him.  Then  you  can  leave  it  all  to  Him,  and 
the  sense  of  His  protection  will  make  you 
calmer.  It  will  also  keep  you  from  making 
uncertain  plans,  which  might  only  bring 
fresh  disappointments." 

Leonore  had  attentively  followed  every  word 
Mrs.  Maxa  had  uttered.  Looking  thoughtfully 
in  front  of  her  for  a  moment,  she  said,  "  Aunt 
Maxa  " — this  was  the  mode  of  address  she  had 
long  ago  been  granted — "  don't  you  want  me  to 
think  of  Apollonie's  cottage  either?  Shall  we 
have  a  disappointment,  if  I  hope  that  we  can  find 
a  home  there? " 

"  Yes,  my  dear  child.  It  is  entirely  out  of 
the  question  for  you  and  your  brother  to  live  there. 

246 


THE  MOTHERS  ABSENCE 

I  should  not  tell  you  this  if  I  were  not  absolutely 
certain,  and  you  can  imagine  that  I  should  not 
shatter  such  a  hope  if  I  did  not  have  to." 

It  hurt  Mrs.  Maxa  very  much  to  say  this,  but 
she  found  it  necessary.  She  knew  that  Apollonie 
in  her  measureless  love  and  admiration  would 
never  be  able  to  refuse  a  single  one  of  Leonore's 
wishes,  even  if  it  meant  the  impossible. 

"  I  shall  not  think  about  it  any  more  then," 
said  Leonore,  embracing  Mrs.  Maxa  with  utter 
confidence,  "  and  I  shall  be  glad  now  that  I  can 
still  remain  with  you." 

Later  that  evening  when  the  children  were  all 
together  and  Leonore  had  conquered  her  grief  for 
that  day,  a  letter  came  for  their  mother  from 
Hanover.  She  had  informed  the  ladies  of  Leo- 
nore's complete  recovery  and  had  added  that  the 
doctor  thought  it  necessary  for  the  child  to  enjoy 
the  strengthening  mountain  air  for  a  while  longer. 
She  herself  had  no  other  wish  than  to  keep 
Leonore  in  her  house  as  long  as  possible.  The 
ladies'  answer  was  full  of  warm  thanks  for  her 
great  help  in  their  embarrassing  situation.  They 
were  very  glad  to  accept  her  great  kindness  for 
two  more  weeks,  after  which  one  of  them  would 
come  to  fetch  Leonore  home. 

247 


MAZLI 

Mrs.  Maxa  glanced  with  a  heavy  heart  at  the 
child  to  whom  she  had  grown  as  devoted  as  to  her 
own.  She  felt  dreadfully  sad  at  the  thought  of 
letting  her  go  away  so  soon.  The  worst  of  it  was 
that  she  knew  the  ladies'  abode  had  never  really 
meant  a  home  for  poor  teonore.  It  only  doubled 
her  grief  to  know  how  hard  it  would  be  for  the 
child  to  leave  her,  but  as  she  had  no  right  over 
her,  she  could  do  nothing.  The  only  thing  she 
could  plan  was  to  ask  the  ladies  to  let  her  have 
Leonore  sometimes  during  the  summer  holidays. 
She  decided  not  to  dampen  the  children's  good 
spirits  that  evening  with  the  discouraging  news 
in  the  letter. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

WHENEVER  Mazli  found  the  time 
heavy  on  her  hands,  she  would  sud- 
denly remember  people  who  might 
want  to  see  her.  She  had  been  extremely  occupied 
all  these  days  entertaining  Leonore,  as  during 
school  hours  she  had  been  the  older  girl's  sole 
companion.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  were  now 
home  for  a  holiday  and  constantly  surrounded 
Leonore.  Finding  herself  without  her  usual  em- 
ployment, Mazli  ran  after  her  mother  on  the 
morning  of  the  holiday  and  kept  on  saying,  "  I 
must  go  to  see  Apollonie.  I  am  sure  Loneli  is 
sad  that  I  have  not  been  to  see  her  so  long,"  until 
her  mother  finally  gave  her  permission  to  go 
that  afternoon. 

On  her  way  to  Apollonie  Mazli  had  been 
struck  by  an  idea  which  occupied  her  very  much. 
She  arrived  at  the  cottage  of  her  old  friend  and 
sat  down  beside  Loneli,  who  was  not  in  the  least 
sad,  but  looked  about  her  with  the  merriest  eyes. 
"  I  must  go  see  the  Castle- Steward  to-day,"  she 

24.Q 


MAZLI 

said  quickly.  "  I  promised  it  but  I  forgot 
about  it." 

"  No,  no,  Mazli,"  Apollonie  said  evasively, 
"  we  have  lots  of  other  things  to  do.  We  have 
to  see  if  the  plums  are  getting  ripe  on  the  tree 
in  the  corner  of  the  garden,  and  after  that  you 
must  see  the  chickens.  Just  think,  Mazli,  they 
have  little  chicks,  and  you  will  have  to  see  them. 
I  am  sure  you  won't  ever  want  to  leave  them." 

"  Oh,  yes,  when  I  have  seen  them  I  must  go 
to  the  Castle- Steward  because  I  promised  to," 
Mazli  replied. 

"  I  am  sure  he  has  forgotten  all  about  it  and 
does  not  remember  you  any  more,"  Apollonie 
said,  trying  to  ward  Mazli  off  from  her  design. 
"  Does  your  mama  know  that  you  mean  to  go  to 
the  castle? " 

"  No,  because  I  only  thought  of  it  on  my  way 
here,"  Mazli  assured  her  old  friend.  "  But  one 
must  always  keep  a  promise ;  Kurt  told  me  that." 

"  Mr.  Trius  won't  even  let  you  in,"  Apollonie 
protested. 

"  Certainly !  He  has  to.  I  know  the  Castle- 
Steward  well,  and  he  is  not  in  the  least  afraid  of 
Mr.  Trius ;  I  have  noticed  that,"  said  Mazli,  firmly 
holding  to  her  resolution. 

250 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

Apollonie  realized  that  words  would  do  no 
good  and  resolved  to  entertain  Mazli  so  well  with 
the  little  chickens  and  other  things  that  it  would 
finally  be  too  late  for  her  to  go  to  the  castle. 
Mazli  inspected  the  tiny  chickens  and  the  ripening 
plums  with  great  enjoyment,  but  as  this  had 
barely  taken  any  time  at  all,  she  soon  said  reso- 
lutely, "  I  have  to  go  now  because  it  is  late.  If 
you  would  like  to  stay  home,  Loneli  can  come 
with  me.     I  am  sure  we  can  easily  find  the  way." 

"  What  are  you  dreaming  of,  Mazli  ?  "  Apol- 
lonie cried  out.  "  How  do  you  think  Mr.  Trius 
would  receive  you  if  you  ask  him  to  let  you  in,  I 
should  like  to  know?  You'll  find  out  something 
you  won't  like,  I  am  afraid.  No,  no,  this  can't  be. 
If  you  insist  on  going,  I  had  better  go  along." 

Apollonie  went  indoors  to  get  ready  for  the 
walk,  as  she  always  put  on  better  clothes  when- 
ever she  mounted  to  the  castle,  despite  the  fact 
that  she  might  not  see  anyone.  Loneli  was  ex- 
tremely eager  to  have  a  chance  to  find  out  who 
was  the  Castle- Steward  whom  Mazli  had  prom- 
ised to  visit.  She  had  tried  to  persuade  her  grand- 
mother to  let  her  go  with  Mazli,  in  which  case  her 
mother  would  not  need  to  change  her  clothes, 
But  the  latter  would  not  even  hear  of  it,  remark- 

251 


MAZLI 

ing,  "  You  can  sit  on  the  bench  under  the  pear 
tree  with  your  knitting  in  the  meantime,  and  you 
can  sing  a  song.  We  are  sure  to  be  back  again 
in  a  little  while." 

Soon  they  started  off,  Apollonie  firmly  hold- 
ing Mazli' s  hand.  Mr.  Trius  appeared  at  the 
door  before  they  even  had  time  to  ring ;  it  seemed 
as  if  the  man  really  had  his  eyes  on  everything. 
Throwing  a  furious  glance  at  Mazli,  he  opened 
the  door  before  Apollonie  had  said  a  word.  But 
he  had  taken  great  care  to  leave  a  crack  which 
would  only  allow  a  little  person  like  Mazli  to 
slip  through  without  sticking  fast  in  the  opening. 
Mazli  wriggled  through  and  started  to  run  away. 
The  next  moment  the  door  was  closed  again. 
"  Do  you  think  I  intend  to  squeeze  myself 
through,  too?  You  do  not  need  to  bolt  it,  Mr. 
Trius,"  Apollonie  said,  much  offended.  "  It  is 
not  necessary  to  cut  off  the  child  from  me  like 
that,  so  that  I  don't  even  know  where  she  is  going. 
I  am  taking  care  of  her,  remember.  Won't  you 
please  let  me  in,  for  I  want  to  watch  her,  that 
is  all." 

"  Forbidden,"  said  Mr.  Trius. 

"  Why  did  you  let  the  child  in?  " 

"  I  was  ordered  to." 

252 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

"What?  You  were  ordered  to?  By  the  mas- 
ter? "  cried  out  Apollonie.  "  Oh,  Mr.  Trius,  how 
could  he  let  the  child  go  in  and  walk  about  the 
garden  while  his  old  servant  is  kept  out?  She 
ought  to  be  in  there  looking  after  things.  I  am 
sure  you  have  never  told  him  how  I  have  come 
to  you,  come  again  and  again  and  have  begged 
you  to  admit  me.  I  want  to  put  things  into  their 
old  order  and  you  don't  want  me  to.  You  don't 
even  know,  apparently,  which  bed  he  has  and  if 
his  pillows  are  properly  covered.  You  said  so 
yourself.  I  am  sure  that  the  good  old  Baroness 
would  have  no  peace  in  her  grave  if  she  knew  all 
this.  And  this  is  all  your  fault.  I  can  clearly 
see  that.  I  can  tell  you  one  thing,  though!  If 
you  refuse  to  give  my  messages  to  the  master  as 
I  have  begged  and  begged  you  to  so  often,  I'll  find 
another  way.    I'll  write  a  letter." 

"  Won't  help." 

"  What  won't  help  ?  How  can  you  know  that  ? 
You  won't  know  what's  in  the  letter.  I  suppose 
the  Baron  still  reads  his  own  letters,"  Apollonie 
eagerly  went  on. 

"  He  receives  no  letters  from  these  parts." 

This  was  a  terrible  blow  for  Apollonie,  to 
whom  this  new  thought  had  given  great  confi- 

253 


MAZLI 

dence.  She  therefore  decided  to  say  nothing  more 
and  quietly  watched  Mr.  Trius  as  he  walked  up 
and  down  inside  the  garden. 

Mazli  in  the  meantime  had  eagerly  pursued 
her  way  and  was  soon  up  on  the  terrace.  Glanc- 
ing about  from  there,  she  saw  the  gentleman 
again,  stretched  out  in  the  shadow  of  the  pine 
tree,  as  she  had  seen  him  first,  and  the  glinting 
cover  was  lying  again  on  his  knees.  Mazli  ran 
over  to  him. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Castle- Steward?  Are 
jrou  angry  with  me  because  I  have  not  come  for 
so  long? "  she  called  out  to  him  from  a  distance, 
and  a  moment  later  she  was  by  his  side.  "  It  was 
only  on  account  of  Leonore,"  Mazli  continued. 
"  I  should  otherwise  have  come  ages  ago.  But 
when  the  others  are  all  in  school  she  can't  be  left 
alone.  So  I  stay  with  her  and  I  like  to  do  it 
because  she  is  so  nice.  Everybody  likes  Leonore, 
everybody  likes  her  terribly;  Kurt  and  Bruno, 
too.  They  stay  home  all  the  time  now  because 
Leonore  is  with  us.  You  ought  to  know  how 
nice  she  is.  You  would  like  her  dreadfully 
right  away." 

"  Do  you  think  so?  "  said  the  gentleman,  while 

254 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

something  like  a  smile  played  about  his  lips. 
"Is  it  your  sister?  " 

"My  sister?    No,  indeed,"  Mazli  said,  quite 
astonished  at  his  error.     "  She  is  Salo's  sister, 
the  boy  who  was  with  us  and  who  had  to  go  back 
to  Hanover.     She  has  to  go  back  to  Hanover, 
too,  as  soon  as  she  is  well,  and  mama  always  gets 
very  sad  when  she  talks  about  it.     But  Mea  gets 
sadder  still  and  even  cries.     Leonore  hates  to 
leave  us,  but  she  has  to.     She  cried  dreadfully 
once  because  she  can  never,  never  have  a  home. 
As  long  as  she  lives  she'll  have  to  be  homeless. 
The    beggar-woman    who    came    with    the    tv/o 
ragged  children  said  that.     They  were  homel/iss, 
and  Leonore  said  afterwards,  '  I  am  that  way, 
too,'  and  then  she  cried  terribly,  and  we  were  sent 
out  into  the  garden.     She  might  have  cried  still 
more  if  she  had  thought  about  our  having  a  home 
with  a  mama  while  she  has  none.     She  has  no 
papa  or  anybody.    But  you  must  not  think  that 
she  is  a  homeless  child  with  a  torn  dress;  she  looks 
quite  different.     Maybe  she  can  find  a  home  in 
Apollonie's   little   house   under  the   hill.     Then 
Salo  can  come  home  to  her  in  the  holidays.    But 
mama  does  not  think  that  this  can  be.     But 

255 


MAZLI 

Leonore  wants  it  ever  so  much.  I  must  bring  her 
to  you  one  day." 

"  Who  are  you,  child?  What  is  your  name," 
asked  the  gentleman  abruptly. 

Mazli  looked  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"  I  am  Mazli,"  she  said,  "  and  mama  has  the 
same  name  as  I  have.  But  they  don't  call  her 
that.  Some  people  call  her  Mrs.  Rector,  some 
mama,  and  Uncle  Philip  says  Maxa  to  her  and 
Leonore  calls  her  Aunt  Maxa." 

"Is  your  father  the  rector  of  Nolla?  "  the 
gentleman  asked. 

"  He  has  been  in  heaven  a  long  while,  and  he 
was  in  heaven  before  we  came  here,  but  mama 
wanted  to  come  back  to  Nolla  because  this  was 
her  home.  We  don't  live  in  the  rectory  now,  but 
where  there  is  a  garden  with  lots  of  paths,  and 
where  the  big  currant-bushes  are  in  the  corners, 
here  and  here  and  here."  Mazli  traced  the  posi- 
tion of  the  bushes  exactly  on  the  lionskin.  The 
castle-steward,  leaning  back  in  his  chair,  said 
nothing  more.  "Do  you  find  it  very  tiresome 
here?  "  Mazli  asked  sympathetically. 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Have  you  no  picture-book    " 

"No."  * 

256 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

"  Oh,  I'll  bring  you  one,  as  soon  as  I  come 
again.  And  then — but  perhaps  you  have  a  head- 
ache? "  Mazli  interrupted  herself.  "  When  my 
mama  wrinkles  up  her  forehead  the  way  you  do 
she  always  has  a  headache,  and  one  must  get  her 
some  cold  water  to  make  it  better.  I'll  quickly 
get  some,"  and  the  next  instant  Mazli  was  gone. 

"Come  back,  child!"  the  gentleman  called 
after  her.  "  There  is  nobody  in  the  castle,  and 
you  won't  find  any." 

It  seemed  strange  to  Mazli  that  there  should 
be  nobody  to  bring  water  to  the  Castle- Steward. 

"  I'll  find  somebody  for  him,"  she  said, 
eagerly  running  down  the  incline  to  the  door,  in 
whose  vicinity  Mr.  Trius  was  wandering  up 
and  down. 

"  You  are  to  go  up  to  the  Castle- Steward  at 
once,"  she  said  standing  still  in  front  of  him, 
i  and  you  are  to  bring  him  some  cold  water,  be- 
cause he  has  a  headache.     But  very  quickly." 

Mr.  Trius  glanced  at  Mazli  in  an  infuriated 
way  as  if  to  say:  "  How  do  you  dare  to  come  to 
me  like  this?  "  Then  throwing  the  door  wide  open 
he  growled  like  a  cross  bear :  "  Out  of  here  first,  so 
I  can  close  it."  After  Mazli  had  slipped  out 
he  banged  the  big  door  with  all  his  might  so  that 

1.7  257 


MAZLI 

the  hinges  rattled.  Turning  the  monstrous  key 
twice  in  the  lock,  he  also  bolted  it  with  a  ven- 
geance. By  this  he  meant  to  show  that  no  one 
could  easily  go  in  again  at  his  pleasure. 

Apollonie,  who  had  been  sitting  down  in  the 
shade  not  far  from  the  door  now  went  up  to 
Mazli  and  said,  "  You  stayed  there  a  long  time. 
What  did  the  gentleman  say?  " 

"  Very  little,  but  I  told  him  a  lot,"  Mazli  said. 
"  He  has  a  headache,  Apollonie,  and  just  think! 
nobody  ever  brings  him  any  water,  and  Mr.  Trius 
even  turns  the  key  and  bolts  the  door  before  he 
goes  to  him." 

Apollonie  broke  out  into  such  lamentations 
and  complaints  after  these  words  that  Mazli  could 
not  bear  it. 

"  But  he  has  the  water  long  ago,  Apollonie.  I 
am  sure  Mr.  Trius  gave  it  to  him.  Please  don't 
go  on  so,"  she  said  a  trifle  impatiently.  But  this 
was  only  oil  poured  on  the  flames. 

"  Yes,  no  one  knows  what  he  does  and  what 
he  doesn't  do,"  Apollonie  lamented,  louder  than 
ever.  "  The  poor  master  is  sick,  and  all  his  ser- 
vant does  is  to  stumble  about  the  place,  not  asking 
after  his  needs  and  letting  everything  go  to  rack 
and  ruin.    Not  a  cabbage-head  or  a  pea-plant  is 

258 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

to  be  seen.  Not  one  strawberry  or  raspberry, 
no  golden  apricots  on  the  wall  or  a  single  little 
dainty  peach.  The  disorder  everywhere  is  fright- 
ful. When  I  think  how  wonderfully  it  used  to 
be  managed  by  the  Baroness  1 "  Apollonie  kept 
on  wiping  her  eyes  because  present  conditions 
worried  her  dreadfully.  "  You  can't  understand 
it,  Mazli,"  she  continued,  when  she  had  calmed 
down  a  trifle.  "  You  see,  child,  I  should  be  glad 
to  give  a  finger  of  my  right  hand  if  I  could  go  up 
there  one  day  a  week  in  order  to  arrange  things 
for  the  master  as  they  should  be  and  fix  the  gar- 
den and  the  vegetables.  The  stuff  the  old  soldier 
is  giving  him  to  eat  is  perfectly  horrid,  I  know." 

Mazli  hated  to  hear  complaints,  so  she  always 
looked  for  a  remedy. 

"  You  don't  need  to  be  so  unhappy,"  she  said. 
"  Just  cook  some  nice  milk-pudding  for  him  and 
I'll  take  it  up  to  him.  Then  he'll  have  something 
good  to  eat,  something  much  better  than  vege- 
tables; oh,  yes,  a  thousand  times  better." 

"  You  little  innocent!  Oh,  when  I  think  of 
forty  years  ago ! "  Apollonie  cried  out,  but  she 
complained  no  further.  Mazli's  answers  had 
clearly  given  her  the  conviction  that  the  child 

259 


MAZLI 

could  not  possibly  understand  the  difficult  situa- 
tion she  was  in. 

Mazli  chattered  gaily  by  Apollonie's  side,  and 
as  soon  as  she  reached  home,  wanted  to  tell  her 
mother  what  had  happened.  But  the  child  was 
to  have  no  opportunity  for  that  day.  The  mother 
had  been  very  careful  in  keeping  the  contents  of 
Miss  Remke's  letter  from  the  children  in  order 
not  to  spoil  their  last  two  weeks  together.  Un- 
fortunately Bruno  had  that  day  received  a  letter 
from  Salo,  in  which  he  wrote  that  in  ten  days 
one  of  the  ladies  was  coming  to  fetch  Leonore 
home,  as  she  was  completely  well.  Salo  remarked 
quite  frankly  that  he  himself  hardly  looked  for- 
ward to  Leonore's  coming,  as  he  saw  in  each  of 
her  letters  how  happy  she  was  in  Aunt  Maxa's 
household  and  how  difficult  the  separation  would 
be  for  her.  Whenever  he  thought  how  hard  it 
would  be  for  her  to  grow  accustomed  to  the 
change  again,  all  his  joy  vanished  at  the  prospect 
of  her  return.  Bruno  had  read  the  whole  letter 
aloud  and  had  therewith  conjured  up  such  con- 
sternation and  grief  on  every  side  that  the  mother 
hardly  knew  how  to  comfort  them.  Leonore  her- 
self was  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  excited  group. 
She  gave  no  sound  and  had  unsuccessfully  tried 

260 


MAZLI  pays  visits 

to  swallow  her  rising  tears,  but  they  had  got  the 
better  of  her  and  were  f ailing  over  her  cheeks  in 
a  steady  stream. 

Mea  was  crying  excitedly,  "  Oh,  mother,  you 
must  help  us.  You  have  to  write  to  the  ladies 
that  they  mustn't  come.  Please  don't  let 
Leonore  go ! " 

Bruno  remarked  passionately  that  no  one  had 
the  right  to  drag  a  sick  person  on  a  journey 
against  the  doctor's  wishes.  The  doctor  had  said 
the  last  time  he  had  been  here  that  Leonore 
was  to  have  not  less  than  a  month  for  her 
complete  recovery. 

Kurt  cried  out  over  and  over  again,  "  Oh, 
mother,  it's  cruel,  it's  perfectly  cruel!  We  all 
want  to  keep  her  here  and  she  wants  to  stay. 
Now  she  is  to  be  violently  taken  from  us.  Isn't 
that  absolutely  cruel? " 

Lippo,  coming  close  to  Leonore,  also  did  his 
best  to  console  her.  He  remembered  that  he 
could  not  say  "  stay  with  us  "  any  more,  but  he 
had  another  plan. 

"  Don't  cry,  Leonore,"  he  said  encouragingly. 
I  As  soon  as  I  am  big,  Uncle  Philip  has  promised 
to  give  me  a  house  and  a  lot  of  meadows.  I'll  be 
a  farmer  then,  and  I'll  write  to  you  to  come  to 

261 


MAZLI 

live  with  me,  and  Salo  can  come  for  the  holi- 
days, too." 

Leonore  could  not  help  smiling,  but  it  only- 
brought  more  tears  when  she  thought  how  much 
love  she  was  receiving  from  all  these  children,  and 
that  she  had  to  leave  them  and  might  never  see 
them  again.  The  mother's  attempts  to  com- 
fort them  failed  entirely,  because  she  had  no 
hope  herself. 

In  the  middle  of  this  agitating  scene  Mazli 
arrived,  perfectly  happy  and  filled  with  her  recent 
experiences.  She  wished  to  relate  what  the  Castle- 
Steward  had  said  to  her  and  what  she  had  said 
to  him,  and  what  had  happened  afterwards.  But 
no  one  listened  because  they  were  so  deeply  ab- 
sorbed with  their  own  disturbing  thoughts.  They 
were  not  in  the  least  interested  in  what  Mazli  had 
to  say  about  the  Steward,  as  they  all  thought  that 
the  steward  was  Mr.  Trius.  That  evening  the 
unheard-of  happened.  Mazli  actually  begged  to 
go  to  bed  before  the  evening  song  had  been  sung, 
because  the  depressing  atmosphere  in  the  house 
was  so  little  to  her  taste  that  she  even  preferred 
to  go  to  bed. 

Mea  had  been  hoping  till  now  that  her  mother 
would  find  some  means  to  keep  Leonore.     If  it 

262 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

could  not  be  the  way  Apollonie  planned,  she 
might  at  least  stay  for  a  long  stretch  of  time.  All 
of  a  sudden  this  hope  was  gone  entirely,  and  the 
day  of  separation  was  terribly  near.  The  girl 
looked  so  completely  miserable  when  she  started 
out  for  school  next  day  that  the  mother  had  not 
the  heart  to  let  her  go  without  a  little  comfort. 

"  You  only  need  to  go  to  school  two  more 
days,  Mea,"  she  said.  "  Next  week  you  can  stay 
home  and  spend  all  your  time  with  Leonore." 

Mea  was  very  glad  to  hear  it,  but  without 
uttering  a  word  she  ran  away,  for  everything  that 
concerned  Leonore  brought  tears  to  her  eyes. 

Leonore  had  been  looking  so  pale  the  last 
few  days  that  Mrs.  Maxa  surveyed  her  anxiously. 
Perhaps  the  recovery  had  not  been  as  complete  as 
they  had  hoped,  for  the  news  of  the  close  date  of 
her  departure  had  proved  to  be  a  great  strain 
for  her.  Mrs.  Maxa  went  about  quite  downcast 
and  silent  herself.  Nothing  for  a  long  time  had 
been  so  hard  for  her  to  bear  as  the  thought  of 
separation  from  the  little  girl  she  had  begun  to 
love  like  one  of  her  own,  who  had  also  grown  so 
lovingly  attached  to  her.  The  pressure  lay  on 
them  all  very  heavily.  Bruno  never  said  a  word. 
Kurt,  standing  in  a  corner  with  a  note-book,  was 

263 


MAZLI 

busily  scribbling  down  his  melancholy  thoughts, 
but  he  did  not  show  his  verses  to  anyone,  as  the 
tragic  feeling  in  them  might  have  drawn  remarks 
from  Bruno  which  he  might  not  have  been  able 
to  endure.  Lippo  faithfully  followed  Leonore 
wherever  she  went  and  from  time  to  time  repeated 
his  consoling  words,  but  he  said  them  in  such  a 
wailing  voice  that  they  sounded  extremely  dole- 
ful. Mazli  alone  still  gazed  about  her  with  merry 
eyes  and  was  dancing  with  joy  when  she  saw 
that  it  was  a  bright  sunny  day. 

"  You  can  take  a  little  walk  with  Leonore, 
Mazli,"  the  mother  said  immediately  after  lunch, 
as  soon  as  the  other  children  had  started  off  to 
school.  "  Leonore  will  grow  too  pale  if  she  does 
not  get  into  the  open  air.  Take  her  on  a  pretty 
walk,  Mazli.    You  might  go  to  Apollonie." 

Mazli  most  willingly  got  her  little  hat,  and  the 
children  set  out.  When  they  had  passed  half-way 
across  the  garden  Mazli  suddenly  stood  still. 

"  Oh,  I  forgot  something,"  she  said.  "  I 
have  to  go  back  again.  Please  wait  for  me,  I 
won't  be  long." 

Mazli  disappeared  but  came  back  very  shortly 
with  a  large  picture-book  under  each  arm.  They 
were  the  biggest  she  had  found  and  she  had  chosen 

26* 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

them  because  she  thought :  The  bigger  the  books, 
the  bigger  his  delight  at  looking  at  them. 

"  Now  I'll  tell  you  what  I  thought,"  she  said 
on  reaching  Leonore.  "  You  see,  up  in  the  castle 
under  a  big  tree  sits  the  sick  Castle- Steward.  I 
promised  to  go  to  see  him  soon  again  and  to 
bring  him  a  picture  book.  But  I  am  bringing 
him  two  because  he'll  like  two  better.  I  also 
promised  to  bring  you  and  something  else  besides. 
You  don't  know  why  he  needs  that  other  thing, 
but  you  will  hear  when  we  are  up  there.  Let  us 
go  now." 

"  But,  Mazli,  I  don't  know  the  gentleman  and 
he  doesn't  know  me,"  Leonore  began  to  object. 
"  I  can't  go,  because  he  might  not  like  it.  Be- 
sides your  mother  knows  nothing  about  it. 

But  Mazli  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of 
giving  up  her  expedition. 

"  I  have  everything  I  want  to  bring  him  now, 
and  the  Castle- Steward  has  probably  been  waiting 
for  us  all  day,  so,  you  see,  we  simply  must  go. 
Mama  also  says  that  one  has  to  go  to  see  sick 
people  and  bring  them  things,  because  it  cheers 
them  up.  He  has  to  sit  all  day  alone  under  the 
tree  and  he  gets  dreadfully  tired.  When  he  has 
a  headache  not  a  person  comes  to  bring  him  any- 

265 


MAZLI 

thing.     It  is  not  nice  of  you  not  to  want  to  go 
when  he  is  expecting  us." 

Mazli  had  talked  so  eagerly  that  she  not  only 
became  absolutely  convinced  herself  that  it  would 
be  the  greatest  wrong  if  she  did  not  go  to  see  the 
Castle- Steward,  but  produced  a  similar  feeling 
in  Leonore. 

"  I  shall  gladly  go  with  you,  if  you  think  the 
sick  gentleman  does  not  object,"  she  said;  "  I  only 
didn't  know  whether  he  would  want  us." 

Mazli  was  satisfied  now,  and,  gaily  talking,  led 
Leonore  toward  the  lofty  iron  door.  The  path 
led  up  between  fragrant  meadows  and  heavily 
laden  apple  trees,  and  when  they  reached  their 
destination,  they  found  it  quite  superfluous  to 
ring  the  bell.  Mr.  Trius  had  long  ago  observed 
them  and  stood  immovably  behind  the  door. 
Hoping  that  he  would  open  it,  the  children  waited 
expectantly,  but  he  did  not  budge. 

"  We  want  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Castle- Stew- 
ard," said  Mazli.    "  You'd  better  open  soon." 

"  Not  for  two,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Certainly.  We  both  have  to  go  in,  because 
he  is  expecting  us,"  Mazli  informed  him.  "  I 
promised  to  bring  Leonore,  so  you'd  better  open." 

But  Mr.  Trius  did  not  stir. 
266 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

"  Come,  Mazli,  we'd  better  go  back,"  said 
Leonore  in  a  low  voice.  "  Can't  you  see  that  he 
won't  open  it?    Maybe  he  is  not  allowed." 

But  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  turn  Mazli  from 
her  project. 

"  If  he  won't  open  it  I'll  scream  so  loud  that 
the  Castle- Steward  will  hear  it,"  she  said  obsti- 
nately. "  He  is  sure  to  say  something  then,  for 
he  is  waiting  for  us.  I  can  shout  very  loud,  just 
listen:  '  Mr.  Castle- Steward! '  " 

Her  cry  was  so  vigorous  that  Mr.  Trius  be- 
came quite  blue  with  rage.  "Be  quiet,  you  little 
monster!"  he  said,  but  he  opened  the  door 
nevertheless. 

"  Maybe  we  shouldn't  go  in,"  said  Leonore. 
Mazli  pulled  her  along,  however,  and  never  let 
go  her  hand  till  they  had  reached  the  terrace ;  she 
had  no  desire  to  leave  her  friend  behind  when  they 
were  so  near  their  goal.  Now,  Mazli  quickly  tak- 
ing back  the  second  picture-book,  which  Leonore 
had  been  carrying  for  her,  began  to  run. 

"  Just  come !  Leonore.  Look !  there  he  sits 
already."  With  this  Mazli  flew  over  to  the  large 
pine  tree. 

"How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Castle-Steward! 
Didn't  I  come  soon  again,  this  time?  "  she  merrily 

267 


MAZLI 

called  out  to  him.  "  I  have  also  brought  every- 
thing I  promised.  Here  are  the  picture  books — 
look!  two  of  them.  I  thought  you  might  look 
through  one  too  quickly." 

Mazli  laid  both  books  on  the  lion  skin  and 
began  to  rummage  through  her  pockets.  "  Look 
what  else  I  brought  you,"  and  Mazli  laid  down 
a  tiny  ivory  whistle.  "  Kurt  gave  it  to  me  once 
and  now  I  give  it  to  you.  If  you  have  a  headache 
and  Mr.  Trius  is  far  away,  all  you  need  to  do  is 
to  whistle.  Then  he  can  come  and  bring  you 
some  water.  He'll  hear  it  far,  far  away,  because 
it  whistles  as  loud  as  anything.  Just  try  it  once ! 
I  have  also  brought  you  Leonore." 

The  gentleman  started  slightly  and  looked  up. 
Leonore  had  shyly  retreated  behind  the  chair,  but 
Mazli  pulled  her  forward.  The  gentleman  now 
threw  a  penetrating  glance  at  the  delicate  looking 
little  girl,  who  hardly  dared  to  raise  her  large, 
dark  eyes  to  his.  Leonore,  who  had  blushed  vio- 
lently under  his  scrutiny,  said  in  a  barely  audible 
voice,  "Perhaps  we  should  not  have  come;  but 
Mazli  thought  we  might  be  allowed  to  see  you. 
Can  we  do  something  for  you?  Perhaps  Mazli 
should  not  have  brought  me.  Oh,  I  am  so  sorrry 
if  I  have  offended  you." 

268 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

"  No,  indeed.  Mazli  meant  well  when  she 
wanted  me  to  meet  her  friend,"  the  gentleman 
said  in  quite  a  friendly  voice.  "  What  is  the  name 
of  MazFs  friend?" 

"  Leonore  von  Wallerstatten,"  the  girl  an- 
swered, and  noticing  the  large  books  on  the  gen- 
tleman's knees,  she  added,  "  May  I  take  the  books 
away?    They  might  be  too  heavy." 

"  Yes,  you  might,  but  it  was  very  good  of 
Mazli  to  bring  them  all  the  way  up  to  me,"  he 
said.     "  I'll  look  at  them  a  little  later." 

"  May  I  fix  your  pillow  for  you?  It  does  not 
do  you  much  good  that  way,"  said  Leonore,  pull- 
ing it  up.     It  had  long  ago  slipped  out  of  position. 

"  Oh,  this  is  better,  this  is  lovely,"  the  sick 
man  replied,  comfortably  leaning  back  in  the 
chair. 

"  What  a  shame!  It  won't  stay,  I  am  afraid. 
It  is  falling  down  again,"  said  Leonore  regret- 
fully. "  We  ought  to  have  a  ribbon.  If  I  only 
had  one  and  a  thread  and  needle! — but  perhaps 
we  could  come  again  to-morrow " 

Leonore  became  quite  frightened  suddenly  at 
her  boldness  and  remained  silent  from  embarrass- 
ment. But  Mazli  got  her  out  of  this  trying  situa- 
tion.    Full  of  confidence   she   announced  that 

269 


MAZLI 

they  would  return  the  next  day  with  every- 
thing necessary. 

The  gentleman  now  asked  Leonore  where  she 
came  from  and  where  she  lived.  She  related  that 
she  had  been  living  in  a  boarding  school  for  sev- 
eral years,  ever  since  the  death  of  her  great-aunt, 
with  whom  both  she  and  her  brother  had  found 
a  home. 

"  Have  you  no  other  relations? "  the  gentle- 
man asked,  keenly  observing  her  the  while. 

"  No,  none  at  all,  except  an  uncle  who  has 
been  living  in  Spain  for  many  years.  My  aunt 
told  us  that  he  won't  ever  come  back  and  that 
no  one  knows  where  he  is.  If  we  knew  where  he 
is,  we  should  have  written  to  him  long  ago.  Salo 
would  go  to  Spain  as  soon  as  he  was  allowed  to 
and  I  should  go  to  him  in  any  case." 

"  Why?  "  the  gentleman  asked. 

"  Because  he  is  our  father's  brother,"  she  re- 
plied, "  and  we  could  love  him  like  a  father,  too. 
He  is  the  only  person  in  the  whole  world  to  whom 
we  could  belong.  We  have  wished  many  and 
many  a  time  a  chance  to  look  for  him,  because  we 
might  live  with  him." 

"  No,  you  couldn't  do  that.    I  know  him,  I 

270 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

have  been  in  Spain,"  the  Castle- Steward  said 
curtly. 

A  light  spread  over  Leonore's  face,  as  if  her 
heart  had  been  suddenly  flooded  with  hope. 

"  Oh,  do  you  really  know  our  uncle?  Do  you 
know  where  he  is  living?  "  she  cried  out,  while  her 
cheeks  flushed  with  happiness.  "  Oh,  please  tell 
me  what  you  know  about  him." 

When  she  gazed  up  at  the  gentleman  with 
such  sparkling  eyes,  it  seemed  to  him  that  he 
ought  to  consider  his  reply  carefully. 

Suddenly  he  said  positively,  "  No,  no,  you 
can  never  seek  him  out.  Your  uncle  is  an  old, 
sick  man,  and  no  young  people  could  possibly 
live  with  him.  He  must  remain  alone  in  his  old 
owl's  nest.     You  could  not  go  to  him  there." 

"  But  we  should  go  to  him  so  much  more,  if 
he  is  old  and  ill.  He  needs  us  more  then  than  if 
he  had  a  family,"  Leonore  said  eagerly.  "  He 
could  be  our  father  and  we  his  children  and  we 
could  take  care  of  him  and  love  him.  If  he  only 
were  not  so  dreadfully  far  away!  If  you  could 
only  tell  us  where  he  lives,  we  could  write  to  him 
and  get  his  permission  to  go  there.  Without  him 
we  can't  do  anything  at  all,  because  Mr.  von 
Stiele  in  Hanover  wants  Salo  to  study  for  years 

271 


MAZLI 

and  years  longer.  We  have  to  do  everything  he 
says,  unless  our  uncle  should  call  us.  Oh,  please 
tell  me  where  he  lives  I " 

"  Just  think  of  all  the  deprivations  you  would 
have  to  suffer  with  your  old  uncle!  Think  how 
lonely  it  would  be  for  you  to  live  with  a  sick  man 
in  a  wild  nest  among  the  rocks!  What  do  you 
say  to  that?  "  he  said  curtly. 

"  Oh,  it  would  only  be  glorious  for  Salo  and 
me  to  have  a  real  home  with  an  uncle  we  loved," 
Leonore  continued,  showing  that  her  longing 
could  not  be  quenched.  "  There  is  only  one  thing 
I  should  miss  there,  but  I  have  to  miss  it  in 
Hanover,  too.  I  shall  never,  never  feel  at 
home  there ! " 

"  Well,  what  is  this?  "  the  gentleman  queried. 

"  That  I  can't  be  together  with  Aunt  Maxa 
and  the  children." 

"  Shall  we  ask  Aunt  Maxa's  advice?  Would 
this  suit  you,  child?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  indeed,"  Leonore  answered  happily. 

At  the  mention  of  Aunt  Maxa  she  suddenly 
remembered  that  they  had  not  told  her  where  they 
were  going.  As  she  was  afraid  that  they  had 
remained  away  too  long  already,  Lenore  urged 

272 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

Mazli  to  take  her  leave  quickly,  while  she  gave 
her  hand  to  the  steward. 

"  Will  you  deliver  a  message  for  me, 
Leonore?  "  he  said;  "will  you  tell  your  Aunt 
Maxa  that  the  master  of  the  castle,  whom  she 
knew  long  years  ago,  would  love  to  visit  her,  but 
he  is  unable?  Ask  her  if  he  may  hope  that  she 
will  come  up  to  him  at  the  castle  instead?  " 

Mazli  gave  her  hand  now  to  say  good-bye,  and 
when  she  noticed  that  the  pillow  had  slipped  down 
again,  she  said,  "  Apollonie  would  just  love  to 
set  things  in  order  for  you,  but  Mr.  Trius  won't 
let  her  in.  She  would  be  willing  to  give  a  finger 
from  her  right  hand  if  she  were  allowed  to  do 
everything  Mr.  Trius  doesn't  do." 

"  Come  now,  Mazli,"  said  Leonore,  for  she  had 
the  feeling  that  this  peculiar  revelation  might  be 
followed  by  others  as  unintelligible.  But  the 
Castle-Steward  smiled,  as  if  he  had  compre- 
hended Mazli's  words. 

Mrs.  Maxa  was  standing  in  front  of  her  house, 
surrounded  by  her  children,  anxiously  looking  for 
the  two  missing  ones.  Nobody  could  understand 
where  Leonore  and  Mazli  might  have  stayed  so 
long.  Suddenly  they  caught  a  glimpse  of  two 
blue    ribbons    fluttering    from    Leonore's    hat. 

18  273 


MAZLI 

Quickly  the  children  rushed  to  meet  them. 

"  Where  do  you  come  from?  Where  did  you 
stay  so  long  ?  Where  have  you  been  all  this  time," 
sounded  from  all  sides. 

"  In  the  castle,"  was  the  answer. 

The  excitement  only  grew  at  this. 

"  How  could  you  get  there?  Who  opened  the 
door?  What  did  you  do  at  the  castle?"  The 
questions  were  poured  out  at  such  a  rate  that  no 
answer  could  possibly  have  been  heard. 

"  I  went  to  see  the  Castle-Steward  before.  I 
have  been  to  see  him  quite  often,"  said  Mazli 
loudly,  for  she  was  desirous  of  being  heard. 

Leonore  had  gone  ahead  with  the  mother's 
arm  linked  in  hers,  for  she  was  very  anxious  to 
deliver  her  message. 

Kurt  was  too  much  interested  in  Mazli's  ex- 
pedition to  the  castle  to  be  frightened  off  by  the 
first  unintelligible  account.  He  had  to  find  out 
how  it  had  come  about  and  what  had  happened, 
but  the  two  did  not  get  very  far  in  their  dialogue. 

As  soon  as  Mazli  began  to  talk  first  about  Mr. 
Trius  and  then  about  the  Steward,  Kurt  always 
said  quickly,  "  But  this  is  all  one  and  the  same 
person.  Don't  make  two  out  of  them,  Mazli! 
All  the  world  knows  that  Mr.  Trius  is  the  Steward 

274 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

of  Castle  Wildenstein;  he  is  one  person  and 
not  two." 

Then  Mazli  answered,  "  Mr.  Trius  is  one  and 
the  Castle- Steward  is  another.  They  are  two 
people  and  not  one. 

After  they  had  repeated  this  about  three  times 
Bruno  said,  "  Oh,  Kurt,  leave  her  alone.  Mazli 
thinks  that  there  are  two,  when  she  calls  him  first 
Mr.  Trius  and  then  Mr.  Castle-Steward." 

That  was  too  much  for  Mazli,  and  shouting 
vigorously,  "  They  are  two  people,  they  are  two 
people,"  she  ran  away. 

Leonore  had  related  in  the  meantime  how 
Mazli  had  proposed  to  visit  the  sick  Castle- Stew- 
ard and  how  she  had  at  first  been  reluctant  to  go, 
till  Mazli  had  made  her  feel  that  she  was  wrong. 
She  related  everything  that  had  happened  and  all 
the  questions  he  had  asked  her. 

"  Just  think,  Aunt  Maxa,"  Leonore  went  on, 
"  the  gentleman  knows  our  uncle  in  Spain.  He 
said  that  he  had  been  there,  too,  and  he  knows 
that  our  uncle  is  old  and  ill  and  is  living  all  by 
himself.  I  wanted  so  much  to  find  out  where 
he  was,  and  asked  him  to  tell  me,  but  he  thought 
it  would  not  help,  as  we  couldn't  possibly  go  to 
him.     So  I  said  that  we  might  write,  and  just 

275 


MAZLI 

think,  Aunt  Maxal  at  last  he  said  he  would  ask 
your  advice."  Then  Leonore  gave  her  message. 
"He  did  not  say  that  the  Castle- Steward,  as  he 
called  himself  to  Mazli,  sent  the  message,  but 
told  me  that  it  was  from  the  master  of  the  castle, 
whom  you  knew  a  long  time  ago,"  Leonore  con- 
cluded. "  Oh,  just  think!  Aunt  Maxa,  we  might 
find  our  uncle  after  all.  Oh,  please  help  us,  for 
I  want  so  much  to  write  to  him." 

Mrs.  Maxa  had  listened  with  ever-growing 
agitation,  and  she  was  so  deeply  affected  that  she 
could  not  say  a  word.  She  could  not  express  the 
thought  which  thrilled  her  so,  because  she  did  not 
know  the  Baron's  intentions.  Mea's  loud  com- 
plaints at  this  moment  conveniently  hid  her 
mother's  silence. 

"  Oh,  Leonore,"  she  cried  out,  "  if  you  go  to 
Spain,  we  shan't  see  each  other  again  for  the  rest 
of  our  lives ;  then  you  will  never,  never  come  back 
here  anymore! " 

"  Do  you  really  think  so?  "  Leonore  asked, 
much  downcast.  She  felt  that  it  would  be  hard 
for  her  to  choose  in  such  a  case,  and  she  suddenly 
did  not  know  if  she  really  wanted  to  go  to  Spain. 

"  It  is  not  very  easy  to  make  a  trip  to  Spain, 
276 


MAZLI  PAYS  VISITS 

children,"  said  the  mother,  "  and  I  am  sure  that  it 
is  not  necessary  to  get  excited  about  it." 

When  Kurt,  after  the  belated  supper  that 
night,  renewed  his  examination  about  the  single 
or  the  double  Steward  of  Castle  Wildenstein, 
their  mother  announced  that  bedtime  had  not  only- 
come  for  the  little  ones,  but  for  all.  Soon  after, 
the  whole  lively  party  was  sleeping  soundly  and 
only  the  mother  was.  still  sitting  in  her  room,  sunk 
in  deep  meditation.  She  had  not  been  able  to 
think  over  the  Baron's  words  till  now  and  she 
wondered  what  hopes  she  might  build  upon  them. 
He  might  only  want  to  talk  over  Leonore's  situa- 
tion because  he  had  realized  how  little  she  felt 
at  home  in  Hanover.  But  all  this  thinking  led  to 
nothing,  and  she  knew  that  our  good  Lord  in 
heaven,  who  opens  doors  which  seem  most  tightly 
barred,  had  let  it  happen  for  a  purpose.  She 
was  so  grateful  that  she  would  be  able  to  see  the 
person  who,  more  than  anyone  else,  held 
Leonore's  destiny  in  his  hands.  Full  of  confi- 
dence in  God,  she  hoped  that  the  hand  which  had 
opened  an  impassable  road  would  also  lead  an 
embittered  heart  back  to  himself,  and  by  renew- 
ing in  him  the  love  of  his  f ellowmen,  bring  about 
much  happiness  and  joy. 

277 


CHAPTER  IX 
IN  THE  CASTLE 

THE  next  afternoon,  after  planning  a 
pleasant  walk  for  Leonore  and  Mazli, 
Mrs.  Maxa  started  on  her  way  to  the 
castle.  As  soon  as  she  neared  the  grated  iron 
door  it  opened  wide,  and  holding  his  hat  in  his 
hand,  Mr.  Trius  stood  deeply  bowing  in 
the  opening. 

"  May  I  see  the  Baron?  "  asked  Mrs.  Maxa. 

After  another  reverence  Mr.  Trius  led  the 
visitor  up  the  hill,  and  when  he  had  duly  an- 
nounced her,  invited  her  with  a  third  bow  to  step 
forward.  It  was  quite  evident  that  Mr.  Trius 
had  been  definitely  ordered  to  change  his  usual 
mode  of  behaviour. 

Mrs.  Maxa  now  approached  the  chair  near 
the  pine  tree. 

"  Have  you  really  come,  Mrs.  Maxa?  "  said 
the  sick  man,  putting  out  his  hand.  "  Did  no  bit- 
ter feelings  against  the  evil-doer  keep  you  back?" 

Mrs.  Maxa  pressed  the  proffered  hand  and  re- 
plied, "  I  could  wish  for  no  greater  joy,  Baron, 
than  to  have  your  door  opened  for  me.     I  have 

278 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

wondered  oftener  than  you  could  think  if  this 
would  ever  happen,  for  I  wanted  an  opportunity 
to  serve  you.  I  know  no  bitter  feelings  and 
never  have  known  them.  Everybody  who  has 
loved  this  castle  and  its  inmates  has  known  they 
suffered  grief  and  pain." 

"  I  returned  to  this  old  cave  here  to  die,"  said 
the  Baron.  "  You  can  see  plainly  that  I  am  a 
broken  man.  I  only  wished  to  forget  the  past 
in  this  solitude,  and  I  thought  it  right  for  me 
to  die  forgotten.  Then  your  little  girl  came  in 
here  one  day — I  have  not  been  able  to  dis- 
cover how." 

"  Oh,  please  forgive  her,"  said  Mrs.  Maxa. 
"  It  is  a  riddle  to  me,  too,  how  she  succeeded  in 
entering  this  garden.  I  knew  nothing  about  it 
till  yesterday  evening  when  the  children  came 
home  from  the  castle.  I  am  terribly  afraid  that 
Mazli  has  annoyed  you." 

"  She  has  not  done  so  at  all,  for  she  is  her 
mother's  true  child,"  said  the  Baron.  "  She  was 
so  anxious  to  help  me  and  to  bring  me  what  I 
lacked.  Because  she  loved  Leonore  so  much,  she 
wanted  me  to  know  her,  too,  but  I  cannot  under- 
stand Leonore.  She  begged  and  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  see  her  uncle,  as  she  wished  to  live 
with  him  and  love  him  like  a  father.     She  even 

279 


MAZLI 

longs  to  seek  him  out  in  a  foreign  country.  What 
shall  I  do?  Please  give  me  your  advice, 
Mrs.  Maxa." 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  to  do,  Baron,"  the 
lady  replied  with  an  overflowing  heart.  "  God 
Himself  has  done  what  we  never  could  have 
accomplished,  despite  all  our  wishes.  The  child 
has  been  led  into  your  arms  by  God  and  therefore 
belongs  to  you  from  now  on.  You  must  become 
her  father  and  let  her  love  and  take  care  of  you. 
You  will  soon  realize  what  a  treasure  she  is,  and 
through  her  the  good  old  times  will  come  back  to 
this  castle.  You  will  grow  young  again  yourself 
as  soon  as  you  two  are  here  together." 

The  Baron  replied:  "  Our  dear  Maxa  always 
saw  things  in  an  ideal  light.  How  could  a  deli- 
cate child  like  Leonore  fit  into  a  wilderness  like 
this  castle.  Everything  here  is  deserted  and  for- 
lorn. Just  think  of  the  old  watchman  here  and 
me,  what  miserable  housemates  we  should  be. 
Won't  you  receive  the  child  in  your  house,  for  she 
clearly  longs  to  have  a  home?  I  know  that  she 
will  find  one  there  and  apparently  has  found  it 
already.  She  can  learn  by  and  by  who  her  uncle 
is  and  then  she  can  come  to  visit  him  sometimes." 

Amazed  at  this  sudden  change,  Mrs.  Maxa 

280 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

was  silent  for  a  while.  How  she  would  have  re- 
joiced at  this  prospect  a  few  days  agol 

"  I  love  Leonore  like  my  own  child  and 
wanted  nothing  better  than  to  keep  her  with  me," 
she  said  finally,  "  but  I  think  differently  now. 
The  children  belong  to  you,  and  the  castle  of  their 
fathers  must  become  their  home.  You  must  let 
Leonore  surround  you  with  her  delightful  and 
soothing  personality,  which  is  sure  to  make  you 
happy.  When  you  come  to  know  her  you  will 
soon  realize  of  what  I  should  have  robbed  you. 
There  is  no  necessity  at  all  for  the  castle  to  remain 
forlorn  and  empty.  Despite  the  loss  of  our  dear 
loved  ones,  the  life  here  can  again  become  as 
pleasant  as  in  former  times.  Your  mother  always 
hoped  that  this  would  happen  at  her  eldest  son's 
return,  as  she  had  desired  that  his  home  should 
remain  unchanged  even  after  her  death.  Leonore 
can  have  her  quarters  in  your  mother's  rooms." 

"  I  wonder  if  you  would  like  to  see  the  rooms 
you  knew  so  well,  Mrs.  Maxa,"  the  Baron 
s^id  slowly. 

Mrs.  Maxa  gladly  assented  to  this. 

"  May  I  go  everywhere?  "  she  asked.  "  1 
know  my  way  so  well." 

"  Certainly,  wherever  you  wish,"  the  Baron 
replied. 

281 


MAZLI 

Entering  the  large  hall,  Mrs.  Maxa  was  filled 
with  deep  emotion.  Here  she  had  spent  the  most 
beautiful  days  of  her  childhood  in  delicious  games 
with  the  unforgettable  Leonore  and  the  two 
young  Barons.  Everything  was  as  it  had  been 
then.  The  large  stone  table  in  the  middle,  the 
stone  benches  on  the  walls  and  the  niches  with 
the  old  knights  of  Wallerstatten  stood  there  as 
of  yore. 

When  she  went  into  the  dining-hall,  every- 
thing looked  bare  and  empty.  The  portraits  of 
ancestors  had  been  taken  from  the  walls  and  the 
glinting  pewter  plates  and  goblets  were  gone 
from  the  large  oaken  sideboard.  Mrs.  Maxa 
shook  her  head. 

Going  up  the  stairs,  she  decided  first  of  all 
to  go  to  the  Baron's  rooms,  for  she  wondered  what 
care  he  was  receiving.  Rigid  with  consternation, 
she  stopped  under  the  doorway.  What  a  room  it 
was  I  Not  the  tiniest  picture  was  on  the  wall  and 
not  a  single  small  rug  lay  on  the  uneven  boards. 
Nothing  but  an  empty  bedstead,  an  old  wicker 
chair  and  a  table  which  had  plainly  been  dragged 
there  from  the  servants'  quarters,  comprised  the 
furniture.  Mrs.  Maxa  looked  again  to  make  sure 
that  it  was  really  the  Baron's  room.  There  was 
no  doubt  of  it,  it  was  the  balcony  room  in  the 

282 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

tower.    Where  did  the  Baron  sleep  ? 

As  the  sight  proved  more  than  she  could  bear, 
she  quickly  sought  the  late  Baroness'  chamber. 
Here,  too,  everything  was  empty  and  the  red 
plush-covered  chairs  and  the  sofa  in  the  corner 
over  which  all  the  pictures  of  the  children  used 
to  hang  were  gone.  Only  an  empty  bedstead 
stood  in  the  corner. 

Mrs.  Maxa  went  next  to  Leonore's  room, 
which  used  to  be  extremely  pretty.  Lovely  pic- 
tures used  to  hang  on  the  walls,  chairs  covered  in 
light  blue  silk  were  standing  about,  a  half- 
rounded  bed  was  placed  in  a  corner,  and  she 
remembered  the  dearest  little  desk  on  which  two 
flower  vases,  always  rilled  with  fresh  roses,  used 
to  stand.  Mrs.  Maxa  did  not  even  go  in  thiv 
time,  it  was  too  horribly  forlorn.  The  only  thing 
which  still  spoke  of  old  times  was  the  wallpaper 
with  the  tiny  red  and  blue  flowers.  She  quickly 
went  out.  Throwing  a  single  glance  at  the  large 
ball-room,  she  likened  it  to  a  dreary  desert.  Not 
a  curtain,  not  a  chair  or  painting  could  be  seen. 
Where  could  all  the  valuable  damask-covered 
furniture  have  gone  to?  Was  it  possible  that  the 
castle  had  been  robbed  and  no  one  knew  of  it? 

It  was  probable,  however,  that  Mr.  Trius  did 
not  know  about  anything,  and  it  was  plain  that 

283 


MAZLI 

the  Baron  himself  had  not  troubled  about  these 
things.     Mrs.  Maxa  hurriedly  went  back  to  him. 

"  To  what  a  dreary  home  you  have  come  back, 
my  poor  friend!  "  she  cried  out,  "  and  I  know  that 
your  mother  never  wished  you  to  find  it  like  this. 
How  unhappy  you  must  have  felt  when  you  en- 
tered these  walls  after  so  many  years !  You  can- 
not help  feeling  miserable  here,  and  it  is  all  quite 
incomprehensible  to  me." 

"  Not  to  me,"  the  Baron  quietly  replied;  "  I 
somehow  felt  it  had  to  be  that  way.  Did  I  value 
my  home  before?  It  is  a  just  retribution  to  me 
to  find  the  place  so  empty  and  forlorn.  I  only 
returned  to  die  here  and  I  can  await  death  in  day- 
time on  my  chair  out  here  and  at  night  time  in 
my  nest.  I  need  nothing  further ;  but  death  has 
not  come  as  quickly  as  I  thought  it  would.  Why 
are  you  trying  to  bring  me  back  to  life  again?  " 

"  This  is  what  I  decidedly  mean  to  do,  so  we 
shall  banish  the  subject  of  death  from  now  on,  as 
I  confidently  believe  that  our  Lord  in  Heaven  has 
other  plans  for  you,"  Mrs.  Maxa  said  decisively. 
"  I  can  see  for  myself  that  it  is  better  for  Leonore 
to  stay  with  us,  and  I  am  ever  so  happy  for  your 
permission.  May  I  write  the  ladies  in  Hanover 
that  you  do  not  want  Leonore  to  be  fetched  away 
for  the  present?  " 

284 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

The  Baron  heartily  gave  this  permission. 

"  I  have  to  trouble  you  for  one  thing,  Baron. 
Can  you  remember  Apollonie,  who  was  for  many 
years  your  most  faithful  servant?" 

The  Baron  smilingly  answered,  "  Of  course 
I  remember  her.  How  could  I  possibly  forget 
Apollonie,  who  was  always  ready  to  help  us  in 
everything.  Your  little  daughter  has  already 
given  me  news  of  her." 

"  She  is  the  only  one  who  might  know  what 
happened  to  the  furniture,"  Mrs.  Maxa  contin- 
ued. "  I  am  going  to  see  her  right  away,  and  I 
wish  you  would  admit  her  when  she  comes.  In 
case  the  place  has  really  been  robbed,  you  must 
let  me  get  what  you  require.  Nobody  is  looking 
after  you  and  you  stand  sorely  in  need  of  good 
care.  I  am  quite  sure  that  your  mother  would 
like  me  to  look  after  you.    Do  you  not  think  so?  " 

"  I  do,"  the  Baron  replied  smilingly,  "  and  I 
feel  that  I  ought  to  be  obedient." 

After  these  words  Mrs.  Maxa  took  her  leave 
and  rapidly  walked  down  the  mountain. 

She  unexpectedly  entered  Apollonie's  garden 
while  the  latter  was  working  there,  and  imme- 
diately described  to  her  the  terrible  state  of  things 
at  the  castle.     She  had  always  believed  that  the 

285 


MAZLI 

Baron  would  find  it  home-like  and  furnished,  and 
now  everything  was  gone,  and  he  had  not  even  a 
bed  to  sleep  in,  but  was  obliged  to  spend  both 
day  and  night  in  his  chair. 

Apollonie  had  been  wringing  her  hands  all 
the  time  and  broke  out  at  last  bitterly,  "  How 
could  I  have  foreseen  that?  Oh,  what  a  Turk, 
what  a  savage,  what  an  old  heathen  that  miserable 
Trius  is,"  she  sobbed,  full  of  rage  and  grief.  "  I 
understand  now  why  he  never  answered  my  ques- 
tions. I  have  asked  him  many  a  time  if  he  had 
taken  out  the  right  bed  and  was  using  the  things 
belonging  to  it  which  were  marked  with  a  blue 
crown  in  the  corners.  He  only  used  to  grin  at  me 
and  never  said  a  word.  He  never  even  looked 
for  them  and  calmly  let  my  poor  sick  Baron  suf- 
fer. Nothing  is  missing,  not  even  the  tiniest  pic- 
ture or  trifle,  and  he  had  to  come  back  to  a  terrible 
waste !  All  my  sleepless  nights  were  not  in  vain, 
but  I  had  not  the  slightest  idea  that  it  could  be 
as  bad  as  that.  The  worst  of  it  is  that  it  is 
my  fault. 

"  Yes,  it  really  is  all  my  fault,  Mrs.  Maxa," 
and  Apollonie  went  on  to  tell  how  this  had  come 
about.  Baron  Bruno  had  only  heard  the  news 
of  his  brother's  marriage  and  his  mother's  death 
when  he  returned  the  first  time  years  ago.    He 

286 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

left  again  immediately,  and  she  was  quite  sure 
that  he  did  not  intend  to  return  for  a  long  while. 
As  no  one  had  lived  at  the  castle  for  so  long,  she 
had  decided  to  put  all  the  beautiful  things  safely 
away,  in  order  to  keep  them  from  ruin  and  pos- 
sible thieves.  So  she  had  stored  them  in  the  attic, 
wrapped  in  sheets,  and  had  locked  the  place  up. 
Apollonie  had  never  doubted  that  she  would  be 
called  to  the  castle  as  soon  as  the  Baron  returned, 
for  she  belonged  there  as  of  old  and  occupied  the 
little  gardener's  cottage  belonging  to  it.  But  her 
dreams  were  not  to  come  true. 

"  I  must  go  to  him  this  minute,"  gasped  Apol- 
lonie; she  had  spoken  rapidly  and  with  intense 
excitement.  "  I  want  to  fix  my  master's  room 
to-day.  I  am  sure  I  can  do  it,  for  all  the  furni- 
ture from  the  different  rooms  is  marked  and 
grouped  together.  But  shall  I  be  let  in?  The 
horrible  stubborn  old  watchman  always  keeps 
me  out." 

But  Mrs.  Maxa  was  able  to  quiet  her  on  that 
score  by  the  Baron's  recent  promise,  and  she  even 
urged  Apollonie  to  start  directly.  The  Baron 
should  be  told  of  the  situation  and  have  a  bed 
prepared  for  him  that  night.  After  this  Mrs. 
Maxa  left. 

Leonore,  knowing  where  the  mother  had  gone, 

287 


MAZLI 

flew  to  meet  her  when  she  saw  her  coming. 

"  Did  he  give  you  the  address,  Aunt  Maxa," 
she  asked  expectantly. 

"  He  means  to  let  you  know  when  he  has 
traced  it." 

This  seemed  quite  hopeful  to  Leonore,  and  she 
was  glad  to  be  able  to  give  her  brother  this  news. 
Mrs.  Maxa  herself  lost  no  time  in  writing  to  the 
ladies  in  Hanover  that  Leonore's  uncle  had  re- 
turned and  wished  to  keep  her  near  him. 

Apollonie  was  meanwhile  getting  ready  for 
her  walk.  Her  agitation  was  so  great  that  she 
took  rather  long  in  getting  ready.  Her  toilet 
finally  completed,  she  hurried  up  the  incline  with 
astonishing  ease,  for  the  hope  of  being  admitted 
to  the  castle  made  her  feel  at  least  ten  years 
younger,  though  she  still  had  some  doubts 
whether  the  door  would  be  opened  for  her.  On 
her  arrival  she  pulled  the  bell-rope.  Mr.  Trius 
appeared,  quietly  opened  and  silently  walked 
away  again.  Apollonie,  who  knew  from  Mazli 
where  the  master  was,  went  towards  the  terrace. 
When  she  saw  the  sick  man,  she  was  completely 
overcome  by  memories  of  former  times.  She 
only  said  shakily,  "  Oh,  Baron,  Baron!  I  cannot 
bear  this !  It  is  my  fault  that  you  have  no  proper 
room  or  bed!    And  ill  and  suffering  as  you  are!  " 

288 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

Apollonie  could  get  no  further  for  sobs  and  tears. 

The  Baron  shook  her  hand  kindly.  "  What  is 
the  matter,  Mrs.  Apollonie?  We  have  always 
been  good  friends.    What  do  you  mean?  " 

He  then  heard  from  Apollonie  that  it  had 
been  the  Baroness'  wish  to  leave  the  whole  house 
unchanged  on  account  of  his  possible  return. 
Apollonie  frankly  admitted  that  she  had  only 
moved  the  things  away  to  keep  them  from  being 
ruined  and  had  naturally  counted  on  putting 
every  object  back  again  as  soon  as  he  came  back, 
for  she  remembered  where  every  pin-cushion  and 
tiny  picture  belonged.  She  begged  the  Baron's 
permission  to  let  her  fix  his  room  to-day,  another 
one  the  day  after,  and  so  on  till  the  castle  looked 
again  as  his  mother  had  wished  it  to  be. 

The  Baron  replied  that  Apollonie  could  do 
whatever  she  chose,  adding  that  he  trusted 
her  entirely. 

Her  heart  was  filled  with  joy  as  she  ran  to- 
wards the  attic.  She  came  down'soon  afterwards 
laden  with  blankets,  sheets  and  pillows,  only  to 
go  up  again  for  a  new  load.  This  went  on  for 
a  couple  of  hours,  and  between  times  she  set  the 
manifold  objects  in  order.  How  gladly  she  put 
up  the  heavy  hangings  in  the  Baron's  room.     She 

19  289 


MAZLI 

knew  how  he  had  always  loved  the  beautiful  red 
color  which  dimmed  the  bright  sunlight.  Apol- 
lonie  stood  still  in  the  middle  of  the  room  and 
looked  about  her.  Everything  was  there  down 
to  the  two  pen-holders  the  Baron  had  last  been 
using,  which  were  on  the  big  shell  of  the  bronze 
inkstand.  Beside  them  lay  a  black  pen-wiper 
with  red  and  white  roses  which  Miss  Leonore 
herself  had  embroidered.  The  cover  was  half 
turned  back  and  the  snow-white  bed  with  the  high 
pillows  was  ready  to  receive  the  sick  man.  Over 
the  bed  hung  a  little  picture  of  his  mother,  which 
had  been  there  since  his  boyhood,  and  Apollonie 
had  also  remembered  every  other  detail.  When 
she  went  down  to  the  terrace,  a  cool  evening  breeze 
was  already  blowing  through  the  branches  of  the 
pine  tree. 

"  Everything  is  ready,  Baron,"  she  said;  "  we 
are  going  to  carry  you  up  together,  because  Mr. 
Trius  can't  do  it  alone.  I  am  sure  you  will  sleep 
well  to-night." 

"Where  do  you  want  to  take  me?"  the 
Baron  asked,  surprised.  "  I  am  quite  comfort- 
able here." 

"  No,  no,  Baron,  it  is  getting  too  cool  for  you 
here.  Your  room  is  a  better  place  at  this  hour; 
your  mother  would  have  wished  it,  I  am  sure. 

290 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

Will  you  allow  me  to  call  Mr.  Trius?  " 

"  I'll  have  to  give  in,  I  suppose,"  the  Baron 
acquiesced. 

Mr.  Trius  was  already  on  the  spot,  for  he  was 
blessed  with  splendid  hearing. 

"  You  are  to  carry  me  up,"  said  the  Baron. 
"  Apollonie  will  show  you  how  it  is  done." 

Apollonie  immediately  seized  him  firmly  about 
the  waist. 

"You  do  the  same,  Mr.  Trius,"  she  said; 
"  then  please,  Baron,  put  one  arm  about  his  neck 
and  one  around  mine.  We  shall  clasp  hands 
under  your  feet  and  lift  you  up." 

In  the  most  easy,  comfortable  way  the  Baron 
was  lifted  and  carried  to  his  chamber  and  placed 
on  the  fresh  bed.  Leaning  back  on  the  easy  pil- 
lows, he  looked  about  him. 

"  How  charming  it  is,"  he  said,  letting  his 
glance  rest  here  and  there.  "  You  have  brought 
everything  back,  Mrs.  Apollonie,  and  have  made 
it  look  the  way  it  was  years  ago." 

"  Make  things  comfortable  for  him  for  the 
night  now,"  Apollonie  whispered  to  Mr.  Trius, 
leaving  the  room  to  repair  to  the  kitchen. 

"  Gracious  heavens !  what  disorder,"  she  cried 
out  on  entering,  for  the  whole  place  was  covered 
with  dust  and  spider-webs.    Opening  a  cupboard, 

291 


MAZLI 

she  saw  only  a  loaf  of  bread  and  a  couple  of  eggs, 
and  this  was  all  she  was  able  to  find  even  on 
further  search. 

"  What  a  wretch !  "  she  cried  out  in  bitter  rage. 
"  He  seems  to  give  his  master  nothing  but  eggs. 
But  I  know  what  I'll  do,"  she  said  to  herself, 
eagerly  seeking  for  a  key,  which  she  discovered, 
as  of  old,  on  a  rusty  nail.  Next  she  repaired  to 
the  cellar  where  she  quickly  found  what  she  was 
after;  the  bottle  stood  in  sore  need  of  cleaning, 
however,  as  did  everything  else  she  touched. 
Then  she  set  about  beating  two  eggs,  adding  a 
glass  of  the  strengthening  wine,  for  she  had 
vividly  recollected  how  much  her  master  used  to 
enjoy  this.  When  she  entered  his  room  with  this 
concoction  a  little  later,  the  odor  from  it  was  so 
inviting  that  the  Baron  breathed  it  in  gratefully. 
Mr.  Trius  had  left  the  room  and  Apollonie  had 
put  the  empty  cup  away,  and  yet  she  kept  on 
setting  trifles  in  order. 

"  Oh,  Baron,"  she  said  finally,  "  there  is  so 
much  to  do  still.  I  saw  the  kitchen  just  now.  If 
the  Baroness  had  seen  it  as  dirty  as  that,  what 
would  she  have  said?  And  every  other  place  is 
the  same.  I  feel  as  if  I  couldn't  rest  till  every- 
thing is  set  in  order.  I  wish  I  could  work 
all  night!" 

292 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

"  No,  no,  Apollonie !  You  must  have  a  good 
night's  rest;  I  intend  to  sleep,  too,  in  this  lovely 
bed,"  he  said  smilingly.  "  Would  you  like  to  live 
here  again  and  undertake  the  management  of 
the  castle? " 

Apollonie  stared  at  her  master  at  first  as  if 
she  could  not  comprehend  his  words. 

"  Tell  me  what  you  think  of  it  ?  Are  you  will- 
ing to  do  it?  "  he  asked  again. 

"Am  I  willing?  am  I  willing?  Oh,  Baron, 
of  course  I  am,  and  you  cannot  know  how  happy  I 
am,"  she  cried  out  with  frank  delight.  "  I  can 
come  to-morrow  morning,  Baron,  to-morrow,  but 
now — I  wonder  what  you'll  say.  You  see,  I  am 
living  with  my  daughter's  child,  who  is  twelve 
years  old.  She  is  a  very  good  child,  but  is 
scarcely  old  enough  yet  to  help  much  in  the  house 
and  garden." 

"  How  splendid !  When  Apollonie  will  be  too 
old  to  do  the  work,  we  shall  have  a  young  one  to 
carrry  it  on,"  said  the  Baron.  "  When  you  move 
up  here  tomorrow,  you  will  know  which  quarters 
to  choose  for  yourself,  I  know." 

The  Baron  sank  back  with  evident  comfort 
into  his  pillows,  and  Apollonie  wandered  home 
with  a  heart  overflowing  with  happiness.  At  the 
first  rays  of  the  sun  next  morning  she  was  already 

293 


MAZLI 

in  front  of  her  cottage,  packing  only  the  most 
necessary  things  for  herself  and  the  child  into  a 
cart,  as  she  intended  to  fetch  the  rest  of  them 
later.  Loneli  had  just  heard  the  great  news, 
because  she  had  been  asleep  when  her  grand- 
mother returned  the  night  before.  She  was  so 
absolutely  overcome  by  the  prospect  of  becoming 
an  inmate  of  the  castle  that  she  stood  still  in  the 
middle  of  the  little  chamber. 

"  Come,  come,"  the  grandmother  urged,  "  we 
have  no  time  for  wondering,  as  we  shall  have  to 
be  busy  all  day." 

"  What  will  Kurt  and  Mea  say? "  was 
Loneli's  first  exclamation.  She  would  have  loved 
to  run  over  to  them  right  away,  for  whenever  any- 
thing happened  to  her  she  always  felt  the  wish  to 
tell  her  two  best  friends. 

"  Yes,  and  think  what  Mrs.  Rector  will  say," 
Apollonie  added.  "  But  let  us  quickly  finish  up 
here,  for  we  must  get  to  the  castle  as  soon  as 
possible.  You  are  not  going  to  school  for  the 
next  two  days  and  on  Sunday  I  hope  to  be 
all  done." 

Apollonie  rapidly  tied  up  her  bundle  and 
locked  the  cottage  door.  Then  quickly  setting 
out,  they  did  not  stop  till  they  had  reached  the 
iron-grated  door.     Mr.  Trius,  after  letting  them 

294 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

wait  a  while,  appeared  with  dragging  steps. 

"  Why  not  before  daybreak?  "  he  growled. 

"  Because  you  might  have  been  still  in  bed  and 
could  not  have  unlocked  the  door.  But  for 
that  I  should  have  come  then,"  Apollonie 
quickly  retorted. 

So  he  silently  led  the  way,  for  he  had  had 
to  realize  that  Apollonie  was  not  in  the  least  back- 
ward now  that  she  had  the  master's  full  support. 
She  first  sought  out  her  old  chamber,  and  Loneli 
was  extremely  puzzled  to  see  her  grandmother 
wiping  her  eyes  over  and  over  again.  The  whole 
thing  was  like  a  beautiful  fairy  story  to  the  child, 
and  she  loved  the  charming  room  with  the  dark 
wainscoting  along  the  wall. 

But  Apollonie  did  not  indulge  very  long  in 
dreams  and  memories.  Soon  after,  she  was  mak- 
ing war  on  the  fine  spider-webs  in  the  kitchen,  and 
in  a  couple  of  hours  it  already  looked  livable  and 
cosy  there.  Mr.  Trius  smiled  quite  pleasantly 
when  he  entered,  as  he  was  just  on  the  point  of 
brewing  himself  and  his  master  a  cup  of  coffee. 
The  only  thing  he  usually  added  was  a  piece  of 
dry  bread,  as  he  was  too  lazy  to  get  milk  and 
butter  from  the  neighboring  farmers,  and  his 
master  had  never  asked  for  either.  The  steaming 
coffee  and  hot  milk  and  the  fresh  white  bread 

295 


MAZLI 

Apollonie  had  prepared  looked  very  appetizing 
to  him.  The  wooden  benches  were  clean 
scrubbed,  and  he  didn't  object  to  absence  of  the 
annoying  spider-webs,  which  had  always  tickled 
his  nose. 

Apollonie,  pouring  the  fragrant  beverage  into 
a  large  cup,  politely  invited  Mr.  Trius  to  take  his 
seat  at  the  table.  He  could  not  help  enjoying 
the  meal  and  the  new  order  of  things  in  the 
kitchen.  Apollonie  now  prepared  the  breakfast 
tray,  setting  on  it  the  good  old  china  that  the 
Baroness  had  always  used.  She  had  put  a  plate 
with  round  butter-balls  beside  the  steaming 
coffee-pot,  and  fresh  round  rolls  peeped  invitingly 
from  an  old-fashioned  little  china  basket. 

When  Apollonie  came  to  her  master's  room, 
he  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  how  good  this  looks!  Just 
like  old  times." 

At  first  he  thought  that  even  looking  at  it 
would  do  him  good,  but  Apollonie  did  not  agree 
with  him. 

"  Please  take  a  little,  Baron,"  she  begged  him, 
"  otherwise  your  strength  will  not  come  back. 
Take  a  little  bit  at  first  and  gradually  more  and 
more.  I  know  you  will  like  the  butter.  Loneli 
got  it  at  the  best  farm  hereabouts." 

After  tasting  a  little  the  Baron  was  surprised 
296 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

how  good  it  was. 

When  her  master  was  comfortably  sitting  in 
the  lovely  morning  sun,  Apollonie  fetched  Loneli 
out.  She  wanted  the  child  to  thank  him  for  re- 
ceiving her  into  his  house.  Now  the  great  task 
of  cleaning  and  moving  began,  and  it  took  a  whole 
day  of  feverish  activity  to  get  the  rooms  in  the 
castle  settled.  Only  at  meal  times  was  this  inter- 
rupted, for  Apollonie  did  not  look  at  this  as  a 
minor  matter,  and  she  carefully  planned  what 
to  give  her  master. 

For  Mr.  Trius  she  had  to  consider  the  quan- 
tity, for  he  seemed  to  have  an  excellent  appetite 
and  clearly  enjoyed  coming  to  the  neat-looking 
kitchen.  He  had  begun  to  show  his  gratitude  to 
Apollonie  by  willingly  carrying  the  heavy  furni- 
ture about. 

Two  days  had  passed  in  uninterrupted  work, 
and  Apollonie  had  accomplished  what  she  had  set 
out  to  do.  When  she  brought  her  master  his 
breakfast  on  Sunday,  she  stood  irresolutely  hold- 
ing the  doorknob  in  her  hand. 

"  Have  you  something  to  tell  me  Apollonie? 
You  certainly  can't  complain  that  I  don't  appre- 
ciate your  delicious  coffee.  Just  look  at  the  prog- 
ress I  am  making." 

With  comical  seriousness  the  Baron  pointed 
297 


MAZLI 

to  the  empty  cup  and  the  sole  remaining  roll. 

"  God  be  thanked  and  praised  for  that,"  she 
said  j  oy fully .  ' '  I«shall  tell  you  because  you  asked 
me.  I  wonder  if  you  would  give  me  a  little  Sun- 
day pleasure  by  inspecting  all  the  rooms.  I  have 
your  chair  already  at  the  door." 

After  the  great  work  Apollonie  had  done, 
his  only  objection  was  that  she  desired  something 
which  meant  pleasure  for  him  and  labour  for  her. 
But  he  was  willing  enough  to  be  put  into  the 
heavy  wheel-chair. 

"  It  is  wonderful  what  you  have  done,  Apol- 
lonie," he  concluded.  "  You  seem  to  have  even 
changed  Mr.  Trius  from  an  old  bear  into  an 
obedient  lamb." 

Soon  after,  the  Baron  sat  propped  up  in  his 
wheel-chair.  Here,  guided  by  Apollonie,  he  was 
taken  first  of  all  to  the  large  ball-room,  which  had 
witnessed  all  the  happy  gatherings  of  the  family 
and  their  friends.  It  actually  glistened  in  its 
renewed  splendor,  and  the  Baron  silently  looked 
about  him.  The  tower  room,  which  had  been  his 
brother  Salo's  abode,  was  inspected  next,  and 
again  the  Baron  uttered  no  word.  Beautiful  por- 
traits of  his  ancestors  adorned  these  walls,  and  he 
recalled  how  Salo  had  loved  them. 

Apollonie  moved  next  to  the  room  of  the 

298 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

Baroness  where  every  object  was  in  its  place 
again.  The  faithful  servant  noticed  how  her  mas- 
ter's glances  drank  it  all  in  and  as  they  remained 
he  still  showed  no  desire  to  leave. 

"  My  mother  was  sitting  in  this  arm-chair 
when  I  last  spoke  to  her,"  he  said  at  last,  "  and  this 
red  pin  cushion  was  lying  on  the  table  before  her. 
I  remember  standing  there  and  playing  with  the 
pins,  and  I  can  recall  every  word  she  said.  Don't 
carry  me  down  to-day,  Mrs.  Apollonie,"  he  con- 
tinued after  a  pause,  "  I  want  to  spend  my  Sun- 
day here.  I  am  glad  there  are  no  more  empty 
rooms  to  flee  from." 

Apollonie  was  more  gratified  than  she  could 
say  that  her  master  was  beginning  to  feel  at  home 
and  hoped  that  it  would  soon  become  dear  to  him. 
She  wanted  him  to  see  also  Leonore's  bright  and 
cheerful  room,  which  the  Baroness  had  had  fur- 
nished in  the  daintiest  way,  and  was  unable  to 
suppress  her  wish.  "  Please,  Baron,  take  one 
more  small  trip  with  me,"  she  begged.  "  We  can 
soon  come  back  here." 

As  he  raised  no  objection,  they  set  out. 
Through  the  wide-open  windows  of  the  room  the 
woods  could  be  seen.  Flocks  of  gay  birds  sat 
carolling  on  the  luxuriant  branches  of  the  fir  trees, 
and  their  songs  filled  the  room  with  laughter. 

299 


MAZLI 

The  Baron  let  his  gaze  roam  out  to  the  trees  with 
their  merry  minstrels  and  back  again  to  the 
pleasant  chamber. 

"  You  have  accomplished  miracles,  Mrs. 
Apollonie,"  he  cried  out.  "  It  only  took  you  two 
days  to  change  this  mournful  cave  into  a  pleasant 
abode  where  young  people  could  be  happy. 
Please  take  me  back  to  my  mother's  room  now 
and  come  to  me  as  soon  as  you  find  time,  for  I 
have  something  to  talk  over  with  you." 

An  interview  lasting  a  considerable  time  took 
place  that  afternoon.  Loneli  had  been  thinking 
about  Kurt  and  Mea  while  she  was  wandering 
happily  up  and  down  the  terrace,  and  she  won- 
dered how  soon  they  would  hear  of  the  great 
event.  She  was  very  anxious  for  them  to  pay  her 
a  visit,  for  which  she  was  already  making  plans. 

When  Loneli  came  back  from  her  stroll,  she 
saw  her  grandmother  sitting  on  the  window-seat, 
sobbing  violently. 

"  But  grandmother,  why  are  you  crying? 
Everything  is  so  wonderful  here,  and  all  the  birds 
outside  are  singing." 

"  I  am  singing  with  them  in  my  heart,  child; 
these  tears  are  tears  of  joy,"  said  the  grand- 
mother. "  Sit  down,  Loneli,  and  I'll  tell  you 
what  is  going  to  happen  to-morrow.     I  feel  as  if 

soo 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

this  happiness  was  too  much  for  me,  Loneli." 
Apollonie  was  once  more  swept  away  by  emotion, 
and  it  took  her  a  little  time  before  she  could  tell 
Loneli  the  wonderful  news. 

On  this  day  it  was  so  quiet  in  Mrs.  Maxa's 
garden,  that  it  hardly  seemed  as  if  the  whole 
family  was  gathered  in  the  vine-covered  garden- 
house.  The  thought  of  its  being  Leonore's  last 
Sunday  kept  them  from  being  gay,  despite  the 
fact  that  they  were  playing  a  game  which  they 
usually  enjoyed.  The  mother's  thoughts  were 
wandering,  too,  for  she  had  waited  all  day  to  get 
news  from  the  castle.  Wondering  what  this 
meant,  Mrs.  Maxa  found  it  difficult  to  keep  her 
attention  on  the  children.  Mazli  undertook  a 
little  stroll  from  time  to  time,  for  her  companions 
depressed  her  very  much.  She  had  been  to  see 
Kathy,  who  was  sitting  near  the  house-door,  and 
had  chatted  occasionally  with  the  passers,  but  now 
she  returned  carrying  a  letter. 

"  A  boy  brought  it,  and  Kathy  asked  him  from 
whom  it  was,  but  he  didn't  know,"  she  explained. 

"  Give  it  to  me,  Mazli,"  said  the  mother.  "  It 
is  addressed  to  Leonore,  though,"  she  added,  a 
bit  frightened,  "  but " 

Leonore  put  both  hands  up  to  her  face. 
"  Please  read  it,  Aunt  Maxa,  I  can't." 

soi 


MAZLI 

"  You  need  not  be  frightened,  children,"  she 
said  quickly,  with  a  joyful  flush  on  her  cheeks. 
"  Listen!  As  the  Castle- Steward  wants  to  see  his 
two  young  friends,  Leonore  and  Mazli,  again,  he 
invites  them,  with  the  rest  of  the  family,  including 
the  mother,  to  spend  the  following  day  at 
Castle  Wildenstein." 

"  I  am  glad,"  said  Mazli  rapidly,  "  then  Kurt 
can  see  that  the  Castle- Steward  and  Mr.  Trius 
are  two  people." 

The  children  had  been  entirely  taken  aback  by 
fright,  which  turned  into  surprise,  but  they  began 
to  shout  joyfully  now,  for  the  prospect  of  being 
invited  to  the  castle  was  an  event  nobody  could 
have  predicted.  For  years  they  had  only  seen  the 
mysterious  shuttered  doors  and  windows,  and  it 
was  no  wonder  that  they  were  delighted.  Mea 
had  heartily  voiced  her  delight  with  the  others 
till  she  noticed  that  Leonore  had  become  very 
quiet  and  melancholy. 

"  But,  Leonore,"  she  exclaimed,  "  why  don't 
you  look  forward  to  the  lovely  day  we  are  going 
to  have?  I  can't  imagine  anything  nicer  than 
to  be  able  to  inspect  the  whole  castle." 

"  I  can't,"  Leonore  replied.  "  I  know  too 
well  that  everything  will  be  over  after  that  day, 
and  I  may  even  never  see  you  any  more." 

302 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

Poor  Mea  was  deeply  affected  by  these  words, 
and  immediately  her  joy  had  flown.  It  was  rather 
difficult  to  quiet  everybody  down  in  bed  that 
night  and  even  when  Kurt  had  gone  to  sleep  he 
uttered  strange  triumphant  exclamations,  for  in 
his  dreams  the  boy  had  climbed  to  the  top  of  the 
highest  battlement. 

At  ten  o'clock  next  morning  all  the  children 
were  ready  to  leave  and  had  formed  a  regular 
procession.  Bruno  and  Kurt  had  placed  them- 
selves at  the  head  and  were  only  waiting  for 
their  mother. 

Now  the  two  boys  started  off  at  such  a  rate 
that  no  one  else  could  keep  up  with  them,  so  the 
mother  appointed  Leonore  and  Mea  as  guides, 
and  herself  followed  with  Mazli.  She  firmly 
held  the  little  girl's  hand,  for  there  was  no  telling 
what  she  might  undertake  otherwise,  and  the  less 
independent  Lippo  held  his  mother's  other  hand, 
so  that  the  two  older  brothers  were  obliged  to 
accommodate  their  steps  to  the  rest.  But  Kurt, 
simply  bursting  with  impatience,  dashed  ahead 
once,  only  to  drop  behind  again;  later  on  he 
would  appear  from  behind  a  hedge.  Lippo  sim- 
ply could  not  stand  such  disorder,  and  to  even  up 
the  pairs  he  took  Bruno's  hand.  When  they 
reached  the  familiar  iron-grated  door  at  last,  to 

303 


MAZLI 

their  surprise  both  wings  of  it  were  thrown  open. 
Mr.  Trius,  with  his  hat  lowered  to  the  ground, 
stood  at  his  post  to  receive  them.  Shining  silver 
buttons  set  off  a  coat  which  plainly  belonged  to 
his  gala  suit.  Kurt  was  so  completely  confounded 
by  this  reception  that  he  quickly  fell  into  line 
wdth  the  rest,  and  the  procession  proceeded.  The 
first  thing  they  saw  on  the  terrace  was  a  long 
festive  table  with  garlands  of  ivy  and  flowers. 
Apollonie  soon  after  appeared  in  a  beautiful  silk 
gown  the  Baroness  had  given  her,  and  her  meas- 
ured movements  made  the  occasion  seem  ex- 
tremely solemn.  She  had,  to  all  appearance, 
become  "  Castle  Apollonie "  again.  Loneli, 
wearing  a  pretty  dress  and  carrying  a  huge  bou- 
quet of  flowers,  stepped  up  to  Leonore.  Then 
she  handed  her  the  flowers  and  recited  in  a  clear, 
impressive  voice  the  following  words  which  Apol- 
lonie had  composed  herself: 

"  Thrice  welcome  to  this  home  of  thine, 
Lady  of  Castle  Wildenstein." 

Leonore,  rigid  with  surprise,  first  stared  at 
Loneli,  then  looked  at  the  mother. 

Mrs.  Maxa  took  Leonore's  hand  and  led  her 
to  the  Baron,  who  had  smilingly  surveyed 
the  scene. 

304 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

"  I  think  that  her  uncle  is  going  to  make  his 
little  niece  a  speech  at  last,"  Mrs.  Maxa  said, 
placing  Leonore's  hand  in  her  uncle's.  Like  a 
flash  comprehension  dawned  on  Leonore. 

"  Dear  uncle,  dear  uncle !  "  she  cried  out,  em- 
bracing him  tenderly.  "  Is  it  really  true  that 
you  are  my  uncle?  Is  this  wonderful  thing 
really  true? " 

"  Yes,  child,  I  am  the  uncle  you  longed  to 
love  like  a  father,"  said  the  Baron.  "  I  want  to 
be  your  father  and  I  hope  you  can  love  me  a  little. 
Will  you  mind  living  with  me,  Leonore?  " 

"  Oh,  dear,  dear  uncle,"  Leonore  repeated 
with  renewed  signs  of  warm  affection.  "  It  is  not 
very  hard  to  love  you.  When  you  told  me  that 
my  uncle  in  Spain  was  sick  and  miserable,  I 
wished  he  could  be  just  like  you.  I  really  can't 
quite  believe  that  Salo  and  I  may  live  with  you 
in  this  wonderful  castle,  where  I  can  be  so  near 
Aunt  Maxa  and  everybody  I  love.  I  wonder 
what  Salo  will  say.  May  I  write  to  him  to-day 
and  let  him  know  that  we  shall  have  a  home 
with  you? " 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Castle-Steward," 
Mazli  said  that  moment,  thrusting  a  plump,  round 
hand  between  Leonore's  and  the  Baron's.  Mazli 
had  actually  made  use  of  the  first  moment  her 

20  305 


MAZLI 

hand  was  free. 

"  Now  Kurt  can  see  for  himself  that  you 
and  Mr.,  Trius  are  two  people;  can't  he, 
Mr.  Steward?" 

"  This  certainly  must  be  cleared  up,"  the 
Baron  answered,  shaking  Mazli's  hand.  "  We 
shall  prove  to  them  all  that  Mazli  knows  what  she 
has  seen.  Leonore,  I  want  to  meet  your  friends 
now.    Won't  you  bring  them  to  me?  " 

The  children  were  all  standing  around  their 
mother  and  Apollonie,  who  were  clearing  up  the 
mystery  for  them.  The  mother  had  barely  been 
able  to  check  their  violent  outbreak,  but  could  not 
quite  quench  all  enthusiasm.  When  they  heard 
that  Leonore  had  come  to  introduce  them  to  her 
uncle,  they  were  a  little  scared,  but  Leonore 
understood  their  hesitation  and  declared,  "  Just 
come!  You  have  no  idea  how  nice  he  is."  Pull- 
ing Mea  with  her,  she  compelled  the  others  to 
follow,  and  arriving  at  her  uncle's  side,  she 
immediately  began,  "  This  is  Bruno,  my  brother's 
best  friend,  and  this  is  Mea,  my  best  friend.  I 
never  had  a  friend  like  her  in  all  my  life.  This 
is  Kurt " 

"  Kurt  is  my  friend,"  said  the  uncle;  "  I  know 
him  because  he  is  the  poet.     I  hope  he'll  make 

306 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

songs  about  us  all  now;  I  know  the  one  about 
Mr.  Trius." 

Quite  taken  aback,  Kurt  looked  at  the  Baron. 
How  could  he  know  that  song?  His  mother  had 
strictly  forbidden  him  to  show  it  to  anyone,  and 
he  had  only  read  it  aloud  at  home.  How  could 
a  stranger  hear  about  it?  " 

"  You  can  say  in  your  new  song  that  Mr. 
ICastle- Steward  and  Mr.  Trius  are  two  persons 
and  not  one;  you  can  see  that  yourself,"  Mazli 
^declared  aloud. 

Kurt  then  suddenly  understood  that  his  im- 
pudent small  sister  had  probably  been  the  in- 
former and  he  did  not  know  what  to  answer. 

But  Leonore  helped  him  over  his  embarrass* 
ment  by  continuing,  "  This  is  Lippo,  Uncle,  who 
has  asked  me  to  live  with  him  when  he  is  grown 
up.  Isn't  he  a  wonderful  friend,  Uncle?  He 
knew  I  had  no  home." 

"  You  have  quite  marvellous  friends,  Leo- 
nore," said  the  Baron;  "  they  must  visit  you  very 
often,  if  Mrs.  Maxa  will  allow  it." 

"  Gladly,  and  I  know  that  their  happiness  will 
be  yours,  too,  when  you  see  them  all  wandering 
through  the  house  and  garden." 

"  Yes,  all  of  us,  and  Salo,  too,"  Leonore  ex- 
claimed.    "  Do   you   think    Salo   will   soon   be 

307 


MAZLI 

here,  Uncle? " 

Apollonie  had  approached  the  lively  group 
under  the  pine  tree,  and  as  there  happened  to  be 
a  suitable  pause,  she  announced  that  dinner 
was  ready. 

"  I  really  ought  to  invite  my  dear  friend,  Mrs. 
Maxa,  to  come  to  the  table  with  me;  I  shall  ask, 
however,  who  is  going  to  take  me? "  said 
the  Baron. 

All  the  children  immediately  cried,  "  I,"  "  I," 
"  I,"  "  I,"  "  I,"  "  I,"  and  hands  caught  hold  of  the 
back  and  both  sides  of  the  Barons  chair. 

"  I  am  driving  in  a  coach  and  six  to-day! 
How  things  have  changed  for  me!"  the  gentle- 
man said  smilingly.  The  meal  Apollonie  had 
planned  was  a  great  success  and  the  open  air  on 
the  terrace  added  to  the  children's  enjoyment. 

When  the  fruit  course,  which  consisted  of  yel- 
low plums,  was  eaten,  the  Baron  gave  the  young 
birds,  as  he  called  the  children,  permission  to  fly 
freely  about.  It  seemed  to  crown  all  the  preceding 
pleasures  to  be  able  to  roam  without  restraint  in 
the  woods  and  meadows.  First  of  all  they  ran 
towards  the  adjoining  woods,  where  their  need 
for  an  outlet  could  be  gratified. 

"  Long  years  to  you,  Leonore! "  Bruno  cried. 
"  Now  you  and  Salo  are  going  to  have  a  wonder- 

808 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

ful  home  quite  near  to  us.  Isn't  it  splendid  I 
When  Salo  comes,  we  shall  be  together." 

"  Long  live  the  Baron!  "  Kurt  screamed  now 
with  all  his  might.  "  Hurrah  for  Castle  Wilden- 
stein,  the  wonderful  new  home!  Long  live 
Apollonie!  But  where  is  Loneli?  "  he  suddenly 
interrupted  himself  in  the  midst  of  his  outburst; 
"  she  ought  to  be  here,  too." 

When  everybody  agreed  with  him,  Kurt 
dashed  towards  the  terrace  where  Loneli  was 
just  helping  her  grandmother  carry  away 
the  dishes. 

"  We  want  to  have  Loneli  with  us,  Apollonie, 
Please  let  her  come  with  me,"  Kurt  explained 
his  errand. 

"  Who  wants  her,  do  you  say? "  Apollonie 
began  rather  severely,  despite  a  glad  note  in  her 
voice  which  could  not  be  disguised. 

"  Everybody  does,  and  Leonore  especially," 
was  Kurt's  sly  answer. 

"  You  can  go,  Loneli,"  said  the  grandmother. 
"  You  must  celebrate  this  great  day  with  them." 

Loneli  actually  glowed  with  joy  when  she 
ran  off  with  Kurt. 

As  they  were  sitting  under  the  pine  tree,  the 
Baron  and  Mrs.  Maxa  were  reviving  memories  of 
long  ago,  and  he  listened  with  great  emotion  when 

309 


MAZLI 

Mrs.  Maxa  told  him  how  faithfully  his  mother 
had  tried  to  send  him  news.  Her  letters  had, 
however,  miscarried,  because  he  had  changed  his 
residence  so  frequently.  But  he  had  wanted  him 
to  know  how  constant  his  mother's  love  had  been 
and  how  anxiously  she  was  waiting  his  return. 

"  Mrs.  Maxa,"  he  said  after  a  little  pause, 
"  I  feel  terribly  ashamed.  I  came  here  with 
anger  and  hate  in  my  heart  against  God  and 
man,  and  my  only  hope  was  to  die  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. I  expected  to  be  forsaken  and  despised, 
*nd  instead  of  that  I  meet  only  kindness  and  love 
on  every  side.  I  never  deserved  such  a  thing! 
Do  you  think  I  can  ever  atone  for  all  the  wrong 
I've  done?" 

"  We  must  always  bear  in  mind  that  there  is 
One  who  is  glad  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  Baron, 
and  He  can  deliver  us  from  them  if  we  sincerely 
beg  Him  to,"  Mrs.  Maxa  answered. 

As  the  Baron  remained  silent,  Mrs.  Maxa 
added,  "  Will  you  let  me  say  something  to 
you  on  the  strength  of  our  old  friendship, 
Baron  Bruno?  " 

"  Certainly.  1  can  trust  my  dear  Maxa  to 
say  only  what  is  right,"  he  replied. 

"  I  have  noticed  that  you  have  evaded  men- 
tioning the  name  Salo,  that  you  seemed  reluctant 

sio 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

to  answer  Leonore's  questions  concerning  his  pos- 
sible coming.  I  know  that  bitter  memories  are 
connected  with  the  name,  but  I  also  want  you 
to  know  that  you  will  deprive  yourself  of  a  great 
blessing  if  you  banish  the  boy  who  bears 
that  name." 

"  Please  let  him  come  here,  if  only  for  a  little 
while,"  Mrs.  Maxa  begged,  yet  more  strongly, 
"  so  that  you  can  see  him.  If  you  can't  willingly 
see  him  who  may  be  the  pride  and  joy  of  your  life, 
then  open  the  door  of  his  home  because,  before 
God,  it  is  right,  which  you  must  feel  as  fully  as  I." 

The  Baron  was  silent,  then  finally  said,  "  Salo 
may  come, " 

M>s.  Maxa's  face  shone  with  joy  and  gratis 
tude  Many  things  had  still  to  be  discussed,  and 
the  two  old  friends  remained  sitting  under  the 
pii>*  tree  till  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  were 
throwing  a  rosy  light  over  the  gray  castle.  The 
children  were  at  last  returning  from  their  walk 
across  the  meadows.  They  looked  like  a  full- 
blown garden  when  they  approached  the  Baron's 
chair,  for  they  were  covered  with  garlands  of  pop- 
pies, ivy  and  cornflowers.  Now  supper  was  an- 
nounced, and  the  Baron  was  escorted  to  the  ter- 
race as  before.  It  was  a  true  triumphal  march 
this  time,  when  he,  throned  in  his  chair  with 

311 


MAZLI 

the  lion-skin  on  his  knees,  was  pushed  along  by 
the  gaily  decked  children.  The  Baron  told  them 
how  much  he  would  enjoy  taking  a  similar  ride 
into  the  fields  some  day. 

When  Mrs.  Maxa  gave  the  sign  for  parting 
after  the  merry  supper  party,  no  sign  of  grief 
was  shown  because  the  Baron  had  already  told 
them  that  Leonore  was  to  move  up  into  the  castle 
in  a  few  days.  They  were  all  to  be  present  then. 
After  that  there  would  be  no  end  to  their  visits. 

When  the  Baron  shook  Mazli's  hand  at  part- 
ing, he  said,  "  You  came  to  see  me  first,  Mazli, 
so  you  shall  always  be  my  special  friend." 

"  Yes,  I'll  be  your  friend,"  Mazli  said  firmly. 

When  Leonore  tenderly  took  leave  of  her 
uncle  she  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  May  Salo  come 
soon,  Uncle? " 

This  time  the  answer  was  a  clear  affirmative, 
and  the  child's  heart  was  filled  with  rapture. 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Maxa,"  he  cried  aloud,  "  Can't 
we  sing  our  evening  song  up  here?  I  should  love 
to  sing  the  song  my  mother  used  to  sing." 

When  consent  was  given,  they  grouped  them- 
selves about  the  Baron's  chair  and  sang: 

God,  Who  disposes  all  things  well, 

I  want  but  what  Thou  givest  me. 
Oh  how  can  we  Thine  acts  foretell, 

When  Thou  are  far  more  wise  than  we? 
312 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

All  the  way  home  the  children  kept  looking 
back  at  the  castle,  for  their  day  had  been 
too  marvellous. 

The  next  day  three  letters  were  sent  to  Salo, 
one  from  Bruno  and  one  from  Leonore,  both 
full  of  enthusiasm  about  the  great  event  of  the 
day  before ;  and  one  from  Mrs.  Maxa.  The  last 
thrilled  Salo  most,  because  it  contained  a  sum- 
mons for  him  to  come  to  his  new  home. 

The  news  that  Baron  Bruno  had  come  back 
and  that  Apollonie  had  resumed  her  old  post  at 
the  castle  had  spread  all  over  the  neighborhood. 
Everybody  had  heard  that  Loneli  also  was  living 
at  the  castle,  that  Baron  Salo's  daughter  had 
come,  and  his  son  was  soon  to  be  there.  The  report 
that  Mrs.  Rector  Bergmann's  whole  family 
had  spent  a  day  at  the  castle  was  reported,  too, 
and  everybody  talked  about  the  intimate  friend- 
ship of  the  two  families. 

A  few  days  after  the  celebration  at  the  castle 
the  district  attorney's  wife  came  to  call  on  Mrs. 
Maxa.  She  lost  no  time  in  telling  her  hostess 
that  she  counted  on  Baron  Salo's  son  joining  the 
other  three  lads  in  town  and  that  her  husband  had 
agreed  to  look  up  another  room  for  him.  She 
had  no  doubt  that  the  sons  of  the  three  most  im- 
portant families  of  Nolla  ought  naturally  to  live 

sis 


MAZLI 

and  study  together,  and  she  knew  that  every 
effort  would  be  made  to  find  Salo  a  suitable  room, 
even  if  the  application  came  rather  late.  Mrs. 
Maxa  did  not  need  to  mind  these  annoying  nego- 
tiations now,  but  calmly  replied  that  the  Baron 
would  send  his  nephew  to  the  high  school  in  the 
city  and  would  undoubtedly  make  his  own 
arrangements.  Mrs.  Knippel,  after  remarking 
that  her  husband  counted  on  seeing  the  Baron 
himself,  withdrew.  A  moment  after  she  left 
Loneli  came  into  the  house  to  see  Mea. 

"  Just  think,  Mea,"  the  peace-loving  Loneli 
said  to  her,  "  I  have  a  message  for  you  from 
Elvira;  she  wants  you  to  know  that  she  is  willing 
to  forgive  you  on  condition  that  she  may  meet 
Leonore.  She  wants  to  be  her  friend  and  sit 
beside  her  in  school." 

"  It's  too  late  now,  and  it  won't  help  her.  I 
don't  care  whether  she  wants  to  make  up  with  me 
or  not,"  Mea  said  placidly.  "  Neither  Leonore 
nor  I  are  going  to  school.  You  won't  have  to  go 
either,  Loneli,  because  a  lady  is  coming  to  the 
castle  to  teach  us  all.  Baron  Wallerstatten  and 
mama  have  settled  it,  so  I  know  it." 

Loneli  could  hardly  believe  her  ears,  the  sur- 
prise seemed  too  great.  "  Then  I  shan't  have  to 
sit  on  the  shame-bench  any  more,"  she  said  with 

314 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

a  beaming  face,  for  a  heavy  trouble  was  removed 
from  her  heart. 

"  You  can  ask  Leonore  if  she  wants  to  meet 
Elvira,"  said  Mea,  for  Leonore  had  stepped  up 
to  them. 

But  Loneli's  message  held  no  interest  what- 
ever for  Leonore,  who  wished  for  no  new  acquaint- 
ances. She  only  desired  to  give  the  time  she  was 
not  spending  with  her  uncle  to  Mea  and  her 
brothers  and  sisters.  Least  of  all  she  wished  to 
meet  a  girl  who  had  been  so  disagreeable  to  her 
beloved  Mea. 

Uncle  Philip  had  been  away  on  a  business  trip. 
On  his  arrival  home  he  received  the  following  note 
from  his  sister:  "  If  you  still  want  to  see  Leonore 
with  us,  come  as  soon  as  possible.  She  is  going 
to  live  with  her  uncle  at  the  castle  in  a  very 
few  days.  I  shall  tell  you  all  about  it  when 
you  come." 

He  arrived  the  very  next  morning,  and  as 
soon  as  he  met  his  sister,  he  exploded :  "  I  was 
quite  sure,  Maxa,  that  you  would  immediately 
deliver  the  little  dove  into  the  vulture's  claws.  I 
wish  I  had  never  put  her  in  your  care !  " 

"  Come  in,  Philip  and  sit  down,"  Mrs.  Maxa 
said  composedly.  "  We  are  going  to  have  dinner 
in  a  moment,  and  then  you  will  have  the  chance 

315 


MAZLI 

to  ask  the  dove  herself  what  she  thinks  of  the 
vulture's  claws." 

Uncle  Philip  opened  the  door  and  found  the 
children  absolutely  immersed  in  the  recent  events. 
The  instant  he  stepped  over  the  threshold  they 
rushed  up  to  him  and  fairly  flooded  him  with 
news.  Their  speeches  came  thick  and  fast,  and 
he  heard  nothing  but  manifestations  of  love  for 
the  dear,  good  Baron,  Leonore's  charming  uncle, 
the  good,  kind  Castle- Steward.  Mazli  had  not 
given  up  this  title  even  now. 

"  Do  you  see,  Philip,  that  you  can't  swim 
against  the  stream? "  said  Mrs.  Maxa  when  she 
was  sitting  alone  with  her  brother  after  dinner. 
"  The  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  pay  your  old 
friend  a  call;  that  would  add  you  to  the  list  of 
his  admirers,  instead  of  your  bearing  him 
a  grudge." 

But  Uncle  Philip  violently  objected  to  this 
proposal. 

"  Baron  Bruno  spoke  of  you  with  a  sincere 
feeling  of  attachment  which  you  apparently  don't 
deserve,"  his  sister  said.  "  He  was  afraid  of  your 
feeling  towards  him,  though.  Listen  to  what  he 
said  '  I  fear  that  he  won't  wish  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  me,  and  I  shall  be  powerless  in 
that  case.'  " 

316 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

"  I  won't  refuse  the  hand  of  an  old  friend, 
though,  Maxa,"  said  the  brother  now,  "  if  he 
offers  it  to  me  to  reestablish  peace.  What  is  he 
going  to  do  for  Salo's  son?  " 

"  Salo  has  already  been  sent  word  that  he  is 
to  have  the  castle  of  his  ancestors  for  a  home," 
replied  Mrs.  Maxa. 

"  I  am  going  out  for  a  walk,"  Uncle  Philip 
said  suddenly,  taking  down  his  hat  from  the  peg, 
and  Mrs.  Maxa  guessed  quite  well  where  he  was 
going.  He  reappeared  at  supper  time  and  sat 
down  with  merry  eyes  in  the  midst  of  them  all. 

"  Leonore,"  he  began,  "  as  soon  as  you  are  the 
mistress  of  the  castle,  I  shall  often  be  your  guest. 
Your  uncle  and  I  have  just  done  some  business 
together.  He  told  me  how  different  everything 
used  to  be  in  the  castle  grounds  and  that  he  re- 
gretted not  understanding  about  these  matters. 
So  he  asked  me  to  take  charge  of  things,  as  they 
were  in  my  special  field.  He  hoped  my  old  attach- 
ment to  the  place " — at  these  words  Uncle 
Philip's  voice  became  quite  hoarse  suddenly — 
"  Maxa,  your  plum-cake  is  so  sweet  it  makes  one 
hoarse,"  he  said,  for  he  would  never  admit  that 
he  had  been  overcome  by  deep  emotion.  "  So  I 
have  undertaken  to  attend  to  the  matter  and  I 
shall  often  come  to  the  castle." 

317 


MAZLI 

That  Uncle  Philip  belonged  to  the  castle,  too, 
now  awoke  hearty  outbursts  from  the  children, 
which  the  mother  happily  joined,  for  it  had  been 
her  greatest  wish  that  the  two  should  become 
friends  again. 

The  last  evening  before  Leonore  was  to  move 
into  the  castle  had  come,  and  the  children  were  all 
sitting  in  a  little  corner.  They  were  in  the  most 
cheerful  mood,  busily  making  delightful  plans  for 
the  future.  Suddenly  the  door  opened,  and  wild 
shrieks  of  joy  burst  from  everybody.  "  Salo, 
Salo,  Salo!"  they  all  cried  out.  The  boy  had 
just  arrived  in  time  to  have  a  last  splendid  eve- 
ning with  his  friends  before  moving  into  his  new 
home.  The  next  day  turned  out  more  wonderful 
than  they  had  ever  dared  to  dream,  and  it  was 
followed  again  by  a  succession  of  other  days  as 
delightful.  Every  time  the  children  came  to- 
gether it  seemed  like  a  new  party,  and  the  Baron 
took  great  care  that  those  parties  did  not  end 
too  quickly. 

Kurt  had  soon  informed  Salo  and  Bruno  that 
there  was  a  large  hall  with  weapons  and  armor  at 
the  ground  floor  of  the  castle.  When  the  boys 
asked  Apollonie  to  admit  them,  she  opened  a  little 
side  door  for  them,  because  Mr.  Trius  had  hidden 

318 


IN  THE  CASTLE 

the  other  key.  Salo  lifted  the  armoured  knight 
to  his  shoulders,  and  had  the  long,  blue  cloak 
draped  around  him.  He  looked  like  a  frightful 
giant  as  he  wandered  up  and  down  the  big  room, 
and  Kurt  recognized  the  ghost  of  Wildenstein 
he  had  seen  that  dreadful  night. 

Salo,  with  his  charming  disposition,  soon  en- 
tirely won  over  his  uncle,  who  decided  to  send  his 
nephew  to  the  neighboring  town  to  study,  and 
Salo  and  Bruno  were  to  spend  their  study-time 
as  well  as  their  holidays  together. 

When  the  summer  holidays  were  over,  Salo 
and  Bruno  moved  into  town,  but  even  this  leave- 
taking  did  not  prove  very  hard.  The  children 
were  not  to  be  separated  very  long,  for  the  boys 
were  to  spend  many  week-ends  at  home,  besides 
all  their  holidays.  Bruno  had  soon  written  to 
his  mother  from  town  that  she  need  not  worry  at 
all  about  the  Knippel  boys,  as  they  scarcely  ever 
saw  them. 

When  Mrs.  Maxa  cannot  help  recalling  all 
her  former  fears  and  plans  for  the  future  because 
her  son's  violent  temper  caused  her  such  anxiety, 
she  said  to  herself  with  a  glad  heart : 

Oh  how  can  we  Thine  acts  foretell, 
When  Thou  are  far  more  wise  than  we? 
319 


MAZLI 

Apollonie  has  become  the  real,  true  Castle- 
Apollonie  of  yore  and  manages  for  her  master's 
sake  to  live  in  undisturbed  peace  with  Mr.  Trius. 
She  is  taking  such  good  care  of  the  Baron  and  his 
little  adopted  daughter  that  a  bloom  of  health 
has  spread  over  their  cheeks.  On  sunny  days  the 
Baron  can  frequently  be  seen  walking  up  and 
down  the  terrace  on  Leonore's  arm,  and  his  young 
guide  is  very  careful  of  his  health  and  looks  after 
him  tenderly.  The  sound  of  a  beautiful  voice  can 
often  be  heard  through  the  open  castle  windows, 
for  Leonore  has  inherited  her  mother's  voice,  and 
it  gives  her  uncle  the  keenest  pleasure  to  listen  to 
the  songs  she  used  to  sing  in  bygone  days.  The 
people  in  Nolla  unanimously  agree  that  the  ghost 
of  Wildenstein  has  gone  to  his  eternal  rest,  be- 
cause peace  again  is  reigning  at  the  castle. 

The  End 


